


Merciful

by DeniseB



Category: Boneless - Fandom, Ivar - Fandom, Ivar the Boneless - Fandom, Vikings (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-03-14 06:47:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 36
Words: 33,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13584558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeniseB/pseuds/DeniseB
Summary: A story, where Ivar meets a stranger girl who doesn't really talk.





	1. Bad move

Ivar was watching his brother Ubbe kissing Margrethe. He was no longer interested in her, yet he felt jealous. It wasn’t because it was Margrethe, it was because he felt lonely. So many people were surrounding him but he was one of the loneliest people in Kattegat. Because he was proud he would never show it to anyone except Floki. Floki understood him in a way no one could. Ivar loved him with all his heart and after his father’s death, he was even closer to him.

Ivar crawled into the woods where no one could bother him. He didn’t know where he was going exactly but he didn’t care. The anger kept him moving deeper and deeper into the forest. He was so angry all the time and the only thing worse than that were his impulses. It was his impulse that made him kill his brother. With Sigurd gone, part of Ivar was gone too. He was a broken man and didn’t know what could fix him. Of course, if there was something left to fix.

  
He didn’t realize but he was deep in the forest just starring at the trees around him. „Father,“ he began, „I wish you were here.“ His voice cracked because until that moment he didn’t know how much he missed him. Ragnar was the true Viking, well known for his achievements. Ivar admired him with all his heart but at the same time, he wanted to be even more famous than his father. His desire was his own glory. He was proud to be Ragnar’s son but that wasn’t the only thing he wanted to be known for.

  
While thinking of his father, he noticed in the corner of his eye slight movement in the bushes. His curiosity led him to the spot. Slowly and as quietly as possibly he could, he crawled closer. He stopped right in front of a massive tree. Again, another slight movement. Ivar immediately reached for his axe. Prepared for anything he crawled around the tree to see what the source of the movements was.

He almost stopped breathing when he saw it was a girl. He couldn’t see her face, only her back. She was too focused on whatever she was doing to notice him. Ivar wanted to see her up close but when he made another move, a little stick under his hand broke. It was barely a sound but it was enough for her to swiftly turn around. Ivar was immediately holding his axe under her throat.

First thing, he saw were her almost black eyes. When his eyes travelled all over her body he noticed something else. She was bleeding a lot from her wound on her thigh. The girl was breathing loud and terrified.

„Who are you?“ he asked her but there was no answer following up. Ivar’s eyes again looked at her wound. That’s when she quickly grabbed his wrist with one hand and with the other one she whisked the axe out of his hand. Now she was holding his axe and pointing it at him.

„Bad move,“ he murmured between his teeth. Ivar was ready to kill her. He was slowly reaching out for his knife which was behind his belt. The girl made an unexpected move. She stretched out her hand and threw away his axe as far as she could. Right after she passed out.


	2. awakening

„When will she wake up?“ Ivar asked Margrethe who tried to take care of this stranger girl. She cleaned her wound but it was still bleeding.

  
„I don’t know. I have to stitch her up before she bleeds out,“ she turned to Ivar. „I’ve never seen her here before..,“ she muttered quietly. „Maybe you should shut up and actually help her,“ Ivar nervously spat out. Margrethe secretly rolled her eyes but did what Ivar wanted from her. She knew what he was capable of doing and so she tried her best to keep quiet.

  
„I hope she doesn’t bleed out..,“ Ivar almost whispered as he let out a breath. He let Margrethe work on this stranger girl and left the room. Ubbe was waiting outside. „Brother,“ he started. „Who is she? Where did she come from?“ Ubbe was shooting questions and Ivar was annoyed. „Maybe you should ask her when she wakes up,“ Ivar rolled his eyes.  
„Why are you here, Ubbe?“ Ivar crossed his hands. „I was curious,..“ Ubbe was silenced immediately by the stare he got from Ivar. „And I brought you this,“ he pointed in the corner.

  
„What would I do without you, brother?“ Ivar answered sarcastically. He took the metallic contraption, which enabled him to walk and attached it to his legs. Ubbe tried to help him up, but Ivar refused with a deadly look in his eyes. „Your cripple brother can do this by himself,“ Ivar spat out.

  
With all his upper body strength Ivar stood up. He was now as tall as Ubbe. Ivar’s face lit up with a smirk because that’s one of those few things that made him little happy. Both of the brothers walked together to the great hall. Streets were full of people. When Ubbe and Ivar were walking everyone made a space for them. After all, they were sons of Ragnar and heirs to the throne. Many feared them, many looked up to them. Everywhere they went all the people were treating them as well as they could.

  
When they reached the great hall, it started to rain. There were few people inside talking and drinking ale. Together Ubbe and Ivar found a quiet place to sit. Ubbe’s eyes were watching Ivar carefully. „What, brother?“ Ivar asked him. „Spit it out.“

  
„Why didn’t you kill her? Why bring her here?“ Ivar snapped his fingers to get some ale. An older lady came up and filled his glass without making any eye contact. Before answering, Ivar took a sip of the dark substance in his hand. „She was bleeding out and yet she was either brave or stupid enough to try and disarm me,“ he let out a little giggle.

  
„One more reason to kill her,“ Ubbe was still watching him, trying to notice any signs of Ivar’s mood. He knew how Ivar worked. One moment he was okay and another one he was ready to kill somebody. He feared him a little because if he didn’t he would be stupid. Ivar was enigmatic.

  
„When she wakes up we will see what she’s capable of. I’m very interested in her abilities.“ Ivar smiled after a long time.  
„Is it a smile I see?“ Ubbe mocked him. „Don’t push me, brother,“ Ivar tried to not sound excited but he failed. He was very curious about this girl and what gods were planning for her.

  
A boy around twelve years old opened the main door to the great hall and ran to the spot where Ivar and Ubbe were sitting. He was breathing heavily and his clothes were soaking wet. „The girl woke up and Margrethe can’t hold her any longer! She needs help!“ he yelled. Ubbe exchanged looks with Ivar.

  
„This is the last time brother, it will never happen again,“ Ivar whispered into his brother’s ear while holding Ubbe’s shoulders. Piggyback was the fastest way to get there. Ubbe was almost running with Ivar on his back.  
Once they got to Margrethe, Ivar immediately stood up himself, acting as nothing happened. He was angry because he felt like a child. Ubbe was once his legs when they were little. He swore it wouldn’t happen again.

  
Margrethe was trying to hold that girl down. She was kicking and yelling two sentences. Ivar couldn’t get them off his mind later.  
„Du kan ikke dræbe mig! Jeg er allerede død!“* Then she stopped and passed out again. Ivar was intrigued.

 

(*You can't kill me! I'm already dead!)


	3. hide and seek

Ivar couldn’t sleep that night. He was in the same room as the stranger girl. He decided to keep an eye on her. He was playing it all over again in his head. „Du kan ikke dræbe mig! Jeg er allerede død!“ But why would she say that?

  
He looked at her. The moonlight was playing tricks on her face. She was breathing slowly and steadily. Her dark hair was everywhere. She was still dirty from mud on her face and her hair looked like it never felt the touch of a hairbrush. Yet she looked like a painting he saw in England when he was there with his father. His mind was repeating those two sentences again and again.

  
A scream brought him back to reality. She was now shaking and rolling from side to side. Ivar got to her and hold her arm down so she wouldn’t hurt herself. She was still sleeping, probably having a nightmare. It was something he could relate to. He often woke up sweating from a nightmare, catching his breath, incapable of speaking. He realized she was calm again so he immediately let go of her arm. „Why am I acting so silly?“ He asked himself. „She may be an enemy,“ he whispered.

  
There was something about her that couldn’t let Ivar just kill her. Perhaps it was the fearless attitude she showed in the forest. He wasn’t sure, but he knew he wanted to know more about her. Where she came from, what was she doing out there, why was she hurt... Ivar had a lot of questions. He also hoped that she would survive to answer them.

„Ivar?“ a male’s voice.  
Ivar opened his eyes and was already holding a knife ready for anything. The face of his brother Ubbe was looking at him. Ivar put his knife down. „Is she awake yet?“ he asked. Ubbe wasn’t answering which didn’t look good. „Don’t tell me she’s dead,“ Ivar was now almost whispering.

  
„We don’t know..,“ Ubbe answered honestly. „What do you mean, you don’t know?“ Ivar’s temper went up. „I just came here with Margrethe and she was gone.“ Ivar looked at his brother with a blank expression on his face. „What are we still waiting for? She can’t be far away!“ Ivar was already moving. Margrethe was standing by the door. „Maybe we should let her die outside,“ she spoke her mind. Ivar was mad and immediately grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her down. She felt on her ass. Ivar crawled so close to her, he could hear her heart beating. „If you don’t learn to be quiet I will cut your tongue out and I will wear it as a necklace. Believe me, I don’t care if you are Ubbe’s wife. I swear by the gods,“ with a smile he left. Margrethe didn’t move an inch. Her heart was beating fast and her eyes were watering. She knew Ivar was talking seriously. Not even Ubbe could protect her.

„Oh, brother! That was unnecessary,“ Ubbe said with his deep fatherly-like voice. „You are wrong again, Ubbe. That was necessary.“

  
„Look,“ Ivar pointed out. „Blood. That must be her!“ Both brothers were following the path of blood. It led them to the big barn. Ubbe was taking his knife out. Ivar didn’t want Ubbe to kill her, but he also took out his knife. She could be dangerous for what he knew. Ubbe slowly opened the entrance. It was cold outside, and it wasn’t better in the barn. The smell was even worse. Ivar crawled inside with his brother following him. They didn’t see anyone and right when they wanted to give up and leave, Ivar noticed in the very corner a knife on the floor. He then gave a signal to his brother, showing him where she might be.

  
She was sitting right next to that knife, unconscious. Her thigh was uncovered and it was burned red. Ubbe kicked the knife away so if she woke up, she wouldn‘t reach for it. „She must have burned the wound with that knife,“ Ivar pointed out. When he looked at his brother, he saw something that resembled surprise, or perhaps impression. „Pick her up Ubbe, we’ll take her back.“ Ubbe nodded, and gently put his hands behind her back and under her legs. He picked her up slowly. Ivar was watching him kind of jealous because he could never do that.

  
They took her back and Ubbe carefully put her down on the bed. Right after he took a strand of her hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear gently. Ivar was watching his every move, his temper growing up. “Would you like me to leave you with her alone?!” Ivar spat out angry. “Or do you want me to watch?” Ubbe turned around to face him. “What are you talking about?” Ubbe was acting stupid. “She is mine! I found her! She will be my slave!” With each sentence, Ivar hit the floor with his fist. Ubbe raised his hands. “I have Margrethe anyway,” he said and walked away.

Ivar spent few hours sitting in a chair, watching her.

She started to move slowly. First it was her fingers, then her hands and finally, she opened her eyes. She was starring blank and after a few minutes, she started to look around, trying to figure out where she was, when her eyes stopped on Ivar in the corner. He was curiously watching her. When she noticed, she instantly looked at the door. “I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,” Ivar said slowly, not trying to scare her. She looked at him again. Her breathing was fast and irregular. For a second, she closed her eyes to try to calm her breathing. She sat up. Ivar recognized the fear in her eyes.

“What is your name?” he asked her, desperate for an answer. Ivar wasn’t a patient man. He waited for an answer, but it never came. “Are you deaf? I asked you for your name!” He started to lose his little amount of patience. Her eyes were alternately looking at Ivar and the door. Ivar was now angry with her. He got off his chair and crawled to her bed. He rested his hands on her bed. She didn’t look surprised or scared, not even disgusted. Ivar was so close, he could grab her by her hair and pull her down. But he didn’t. He was just looking into her eyes.

  
Two almost black eyes were looking right back at him. He never saw such a colour of eyes before. “Alright, I see. You don’t want to talk. Perhaps a torture will change your mind,” he laughed a little and showed his dark side. She didn’t move an inch. Almost like she didn’t care.

  
“I don’t want to torture you,” he sighed. “Just nod,” and so she did.

  
“Are you here alone?” Nod. “Were you running away from something?” Another nod. Her stomach growled. Ivar smiled. “Are you hungry?” She looked at her fingers before slightly nodding her head.  
“Good, me too.”


	4. scars

This stranger girl ate like her life depended on it. She almost choked two times. “You can slow down,” Ivar told her while sipping ale. He still had no idea what to do with her. But he knew one thing. The gods were planning something, and she was a part of it. That was clear like a day.

  
Every time Ivar made a sudden move, she flinched. He now understood that she’s been through something. But how to make her talk?  
Once they finished their food, Ivar spoke up: “We should clean you up. You look like a mess,” he smirked. “I will let them bring here water and some clean clothes. Then I want to know what you can do,” his voice went up a little.

  
While waiting, Ivar was thinking about a lot of things. Most of them included this strange girl. She was mysterious, yet to him, she was clear as a day. He saw that she was carrying some kind of a darkness with her. That made him even more interested. He also had a darkness within. Maybe that’s what has been connecting them the whole time. On the other hand, Ivar didn’t trust anyone. Even though he felt like he could trust her, he didn’t. His mind was winning once again over his heart.

  
Three women brought water and some clothes. “Leave,” Ivar commanded, and they immediately did what he said. He looked at the girl. She was sitting on the bed, her hands hugging her knees.

  
“You know, I can’t let you be here alone. You could,-“ he lost his words because she was already naked and getting in the tub. She didn’t care he was there, watching her. She was sitting in the water, holding her knees again. Ivar wasn’t breathing. He sat there, shocked because of what just happened. Her shoulders were moving up and down, she was sitting with her back facing Ivar. He decided to get closer. So, he did.

  
His heart melted a little. She was crying. That’s something he wasn’t used to seeing. Ivar felt really conflicted. He didn’t know if he should comfort her, leave her be or just ignore it. Instead, he grabbed a piece of cloth and soaked it in the water. Then he carefully started to rub it against her shoulders, get her at least a little bit cleaner. Her breathing slowed down, but she was still tense. Ivar felt it while trying to clean her.

  
Unexpectedly, she grabbed his hand and put it away. Ivar didn’t do anything, besides watching her. She was holding the sides of the tub. Right after she disappeared into the water. Ivar was now leaning against the tub to see her. Her face was right under the surface, her eyes looking at the ceiling. She looked so peaceful, he could watch her like that for hours. Few bubbles left her nose and danced straight to the surface. Ivar noticed, her eyes were now little lighter.

  
This strange girl now closed her eyes and emerged from the water. “Are you okay?” Ivar finally asked. She gave him a look that said more than any words could. She was damaged, but at this very moment, she was kind of alright. Ivar grabbed a towel. He was holding it in front of him in a way that he couldn’t see her. She kindly touched his hands, took the towel and covered herself with it.

  
Ivar sat on her bed while she was changing into some clean clothes. Her back was facing him. Ivar gasped for air. He saw something he didn’t see before when she got in the tub. There were deep big scars all over her back. “How did you get those?” he asked, but she only turned her head to face him.

She didn’t know how to show him, so she was just holding a piece of cloth on her chest and came close to Ivar. She slowly turned around, so he would see her back up close. Then she pointed out the little spots of blue ink from tattoo between those deep scars. *“Jeg,” was all she said. “You did it yourself?” he asked in shock. She shook her head. She pointed once more at the other, much bigger scars. “Men.”

 

*I


	5. the art of fight

Ivar knew she wouldn’t tell him more and it bothered him. He hasn’t been that curious in his life.

He realized, she didn’t know his name. “I don’t know your name, but you can know mine. If you ever decide to talk… I’m Ivar, Ivar..,” he almost said boneless, but for once he wanted to be just Ivar. “Just Ivar,” the corner of his mouth went up, almost like a smile. She was now fully dressed, looking right at him.

“I’m going out to train with my brothers, will you join me?” his eyes got brighter when he said it. “I want to see what you can do,” he added. A nod. Ivar attached the metallic contraption to his legs. He stood up and the girl jumped in offering help, but Ivar too stubborn and proud smacked her hand away. She wasn’t expecting that and terrified she stepped back. Ivar instantly regretted it. He grabbed a stick to hold on to. “Come,” he told her not waiting if she would. When he heard quiet steps following him, he smiled under his nose.

“It is nearby the forest,” Ivar told her loud enough for her to hear him. She stopped. So did Ivar. He looked over his shoulder. She made a step back. “You’re safe with me, don’t be scared. No one will hurt you. They would have to go through me.” She looked at him unsurely. She trusted no one, especially men. Oh, what they have done to her.

She was standing in the same spot when Ivar’s hand reached out. She looked at his hand, then back to Ivar’s face. Ivar raised his eyebrow waiting impatiently. She bit her lip and touched his hand. When they got to the training section, Ivar’s brothers were already training. Ubbe was watching Sigurd and Hvitserk fight with their swords. The sound of metal filled the air. Both of them were equally good. They were striking, blocking the hits and between that, they were smirking.

Ivar slightly bent down to speak to the girl. “Those idiots are: Ubbe,” he pointed at Ubbe who was now drinking ale from his cup, “Hvitserk and Sigurd,” he pointed at them as well. “Brothers!” Ivar yelled, and they stopped. Three heads were now looking in their direction. “We will join you now,” he smiled at them. They weren’t watching Ivar, their eyes were focused on the girl, standing behind him.

“You trust her?” Sigurd asked him. That question made her interested in Ivar’s answer. “Definitely more than you,” Ivar laughed. Sigurd rolled his eyes. He hated when Ivar was acting like he was something more than them.

“Show us, what you can do, girl,” Ubbe said while sipping his ale. Hvitserk came closer to hand her a sword. She took it and almost fell with the weight of it. She didn’t let them see it. It’s been a while since she ate properly and regularly. It made her a little weaker, but she was still strong enough to show them. Ivar sat down, watching her and his brother preparing. There were sparks in his eyes the whole time.

The girl swung her sword, but Hvitserk blocked it with his. He stepped back and swung his sword. She tried to block it, but he was stronger than her. In a snap, his sword was under her chin. Ivar was watching them, clenched fists. He noticed her eyes were looking black. She was mad. She threw away her sword and shook her head. Hvitserk smiled and put his sword down from her neck.

She then did something unexpected. She jumped in the air, made a flip, landed behind Hvitserk, reached out for his knife and put it to his neck. It was so fast, he didn’t even blink. Ivar was in awe and clapping. She turned to him and threw the knife in his direction. He didn’t move, he was frozen. The knife scratched his ear and ended up in the eye of a stag’s head that was pinned to the tree behind Ivar. She smirked at him because she was in her field.

A wave of doubt ran through her body. Was it too much? Ivar touched his ear which was slightly bleeding. He looked at his finger, then his eyes focused on her. He smiled so much he showed off his teeth. “I knew it!” he clapped. Ivar looked at his brother Hvitserk. “Did you pee your pants, brother?” he asked amused. Ubbe and Sigurd were laughing. The girl went to the stag’s head to pull out the knife. When she was passing by Ivar, she said one word. “Eira.”

 

 


	6. feelings

“Means merciful, I like it.” Ivar smiled at her. “Are you merciful?” She shrugged her shoulders. There was a memory behind her eyes. A memory of the berserker who killed her family right in front of her face. Would she be merciful to him? “No,” she answered quietly, trying to hold back the tears. If he is still looking for her, which he was, she swore she would kill him and the man, who sent him too.

It got dark soon so all the brothers with Eira left the training place behind. While going, Eira heard something coming out of bushes nearby. She felt the uncomfortable feeling filling her whole body from head to toe. She looked around.

Ubbe, Hvitserk, Sigurd, even Ivar didn’t notice anything, and they were still walking towards the village. She knew he was probably still looking for her because she escaped from him. She should have been dead a long time ago. Oh, there have been times she wished she was dead and couldn’t feel a damn thing. Eira was still standing, not moving, frozen in a memory.

She remembered those days when she wouldn’t stop running. Running away from the danger, from the life that has been destroyed. And it was all her fault. The heavy burden she was carrying with her would never leave her. It’s been a long time since she talked to a person.

When Ivar found her in the forest she thought she would die. She was sure she wasn't going to get from that alive. What a surprise it was when she woke up in a warm room, with a young man sleeping in the chair. Ivar didn’t know that she eventually came closer to him, while he was sleeping that night. He didn’t know she put a knife under his chin. Luckily for him, she changed her mind and didn’t slit his throat. Eira kept that to herself.

“What is going on?” Ivar asked her when he noticed she didn’t move with them. For the last time, Eira looked around. She let out a deep breath and followed Ivar. Part of her wanted to tell him everything, but the other part didn’t trust him enough. She almost forgot how her own voice sounded, so throwing a word here and there was strange to her. She got used to the silence, she became the silence.

Halfway they splatted ways with Ubbe, Hvitserk and Sigurd. It was time for Ivar and Eira to separate, but neither one of them was feeling like doing it. They stood under the dark sky filled with stars.

Suddenly Ivar spoke up: “What you meant when you told me that men have been the source of your scars? Who did it to you?” Eira wasn’t sure if she was ready to tell anyone. Not even Ivar. She shook her head, holding her breath, hoping he would understand.

Ivar sighed, clearly expecting her ‘answer’. “Will you tell me someday?” She looked him straight in the eyes.

She turned around to go inside. “Good night, Ivar.” Ivar was left there standing speechless, smiling like an idiot. It was the first time she said more than word and it was the first time she said his name. He liked the way his name rolled off of her tongue. He liked her, but he wouldn’t admit it, not even to himself.

Ivar was convinced of two things. First, some part of him really deep inside was having a feeling for Eira. Second, no one could ever love the cripple.


	7. forgotten memories

Ivar woke up screaming from another nightmare. The drops of sweat running all over his forehead, neck and shoulders. He was breathing fast and with minutes going by his breathing slowed down.

The sun was already up and by the noise from outside, it was quite busy on the streets of Kattegat. People were trading animals, foods and other necessary things. Just another regular morning.

Ivar sat up and uncovered his legs. He hated the look of them. Two skinny boney legs that didn’t match his upper body. Useless, yet they were still there, being a part of his body. There have been times when he wanted to get rid of them. “Just cut them off!” he would scream in agony. The countless days full of pain and screams.

“You are special not in spite of your legs, but because of them,” he heard the voice of his father telling him that. Ivar sighed and slowly got dressed. While doing that, someone knocked on his door. “Come in,” he commanded.

A tall almost bald man with a crazy eyeliner and a big beard came in. “Here is the cripple boy,” he said to Ivar.

Ivar looked up, raising his eyebrow. “And there came an old fool,” he answered with a straight face.

“Why don’t you stand up, come here and tell it to my face?” Ivar couldn’t hold it in anymore. He started laughing and clapped his hands together, so did the tall man standing in front of him. “Floki!” Ivar was still laughing. “Ivar!” he called him his name before embracing him.

“What are you doing here?”

“The birds in the woods were singing about some girl who came to Kattegat. I was curious. I heard you were keeping her under your wings.” Floki raised his eyebrow. “That doesn’t sound like Ivar I know,” he pointed out.

“I should kill those birds,” Ivar answered totally ignoring the look he was getting from Floki. Floki let out a chuckle. “Here he is. Will you show her to me?” Floki asked with excitement. “She won’t tell you much, Floki.” Floki scratched the top of his head. “Maybe she will,” he giggled.

“Follow me, then,” Ivar told Floki and crawled out. The hut Eira was staying at was just a few meters away from Ivar’s. Ivar didn’t bother knocking, he just pushed the door in front of him. He looked around, but there was no sign of Eira.

“Where is she?” Floki asked him as if he was supposed to know where the girl was wondering. “I have no idea. Let’s look around the hut,” right when they went out, they heard a noise.

Both men looked up, in the direction where the noise was coming from. She was on the roof watching something. She didn’t notice them because she was looking the opposite way. She was watching the forest.

“A little bit strange, isn’t she?” Floki said joyfully because he loved crazy, strange people like him. “Oh Floki, you have no idea.”

Eira rolled over, sliding down the roof, bouncing off of it, jumping down and successfully landing on both of her feet. That view was magnificent. She was moving almost as if she was one with the air. So light, so easily and carefully at the same time. She flipped her hair, so she could see properly. Her eyes stopped on two men watching her. One face she already knew. Ivar. The other face seemed familiar from somewhere, but she had no idea from where.

They were waiting for her to come to them. So, she did. Eira made slow steps, stopping few feet from them. “I would like to introduce you to somebody.”

“This is Eira,” Ivar moved his head in her direction, “and this is Floki, my dearest friend.” Ivar watched her reaction. She nodded but something in her face was applying she recognized Floki. “I once met a family of farmers far away from here. They had a little daughter named Eira. What a coincidence,” Floki smiled. Eira was watching her fingers nervously, her eyes ticking from side to side. She was trying to remember.


	8. remember

10 years ago:

 

“Ragnar, we need to hide in front of the thunder that is coming.”

“How do you know there is a thunder coming?” Ragnar raised his eyebrows watching Floki.

“Don’t you hear Thor screaming? He will be soon beating his hammer,” Floki chuckled.

The two men went through a big field straight towards a small house right behind that field, in the middle of nowhere. They were walking two days and even though they were quite young, they needed some rest.

As Floki said, it started to rain. Not just a light raining, it was a heavy rain pouring from the sky. “I told you so,” Floki yelled at Ragnar, laughing like crazy. Ragnar just shook his head smiling, following Floki.

“Should we knock?” Floki asked Ragnar. He just shrugged his shoulders. Floki did. “Who is it?” a voice of a little child came from inside. Both men exchanged looks. Ragnar was smiling because he loved children.

“My name is Floki, and I am here with Ragnar,” Floki said loudly, so the kid inside would hear him. “I am not supposed to talk to strangers!”

“Good girl,” Ragnar smiled. “You know our names, so we are not strangers anymore, are we?” Floki asked. He didn’t get an answer, instead, the door opened a little. A small girl with two braids was looking at them. “What is your name?” Ragnar kneeled in front of her, so he would be as tall as her.

“Eira,” she answered with a smile. “Where are your parents Eira?”

“They went hunting, but haven’t returned yet,” she looked worried.

“Well, we can go look after them,” Ragnar told her watching her face changing from little worried to excited. “Yes please!” she immediately answered with a few tones higher voice. Ragnar just nodded and stood up. He grabbed Floki by his shoulder, “we have a job to do,” he told him and Floki just shrugged his shoulders. They didn’t have to go very far because they heard a scream.

They ran in that direction and found a man sitting on the ground, soaking wet and growling, not trying to scream out of agony. The scream was coming out of a tiny woman kneeling in front of the man, trying to figure out how to help him. Ragnar with Floki ran to them. When they were closer, they noticed the man’s leg was trapped in an animal trap.

“Please, can you help my husband?” the tiny woman asked right away. “I don’t need a help,” he hissed between his teeth, too proud to admit he actually needed one. “Don’t listen to him, he is just too stubborn.” Ragnar grabbed the trap and with all his strength he opened it. Floki helped the man to get up. When he was standing on his own, Floki grabbed him under his left arm, Ragnar did the same on the right. The tiny woman was right behind them.

“We live not far from here,” she told them. Ragnar and Floki knew it would sound strange if they said they have already been there and met their little daughter. Ragnar just nodded, holding the man’s weight.

“Mommy, daddy!” Eira was smiling at them. Floki and Ragnar put the man down so his wife could treat him. “Who are you?” the man asked them and looked them up and down. “My name is Ragnar, and this is Floki.”

“I am Gunnar, and this is my wife, Hertha.”

 

* * * * *

 

Eira woke up, her eyes wide open. Her heart was beating fast, yet she was quite calm, smiling. She remembered. Floki was the man who saved her father.


	9. arrow

It was a cloudy day in Kattegat, people were still in their homes sleeping but Eira was already up and couldn’t fall asleep. She had this bad feeling which she hasn’t had for a while. It was like someone was constantly standing behind her, watching her every move. She remembered that familiar feeling and what it was connected to. Maybe it was her imagination. At least that’s what she tried to convince herself with. A little part of her deep down was playing with the thought of being yet again haunted. Eira tried to keep that part back but the more she had the feeling, the more that part grew inside of her.

She didn’t realize it, but while she was lost in her thoughts, she began to hum a song her mother used to sing to her when she was little. Somehow the words blended in, here and there. She didn’t know she remembered them because it was a long time ago.

Eira noticed a slight movement by her window. She jumped up quietly, grabbed a little knife she had hidden under her pillow and got closer. There was someone standing right next to her window, sneaking up on her. It happened fast. She grabbed his shoulder and put the other hand which was holding the knife to his neck.

“You wouldn’t kill me, would you?” a familiar voice said. She tilted over to get a better look at the man. Her eyes first met little brown braids and when they went down, they saw a handsome profile of Ivar. She immediately dropped the knife in the grass and let go of his shoulder.

“Sorry,” she told him in the most honest way she could. As soon as he walked inside, she wanted to ask him why he was spying on her, but she still wasn’t ready to talk. After all, it’s been a long time since she spoke more than a few words. The last conversation she had was with her parents, right before they died. With that in mind, she felt that pain in her heart with which she was too familiar.

They didn’t talk at first. They were just looking at each other. Ivar felt little embarrassed because she caught him listening to her, but he couldn’t help it.

“What song was it?” he asked quietly, blushing a little.

“Mother’s,” her voice broke. Even though it’s been a while since she died, it still felt like she was going to fall apart to pieces. Her heart was broken and so was she. It was the first time she mentioned her since her parents died.

“I heard a little bit of it. It sounded beautiful,” Ivar told her honestly, the pink colour still showing on his cheeks. Eira looked at him, a smile appeared on her face. She wanted to tell him that it was never going to sound beautiful because only her mother could make it sound like that. But she kept quiet, she wasn’t ready to speak, not yet.

Out of nowhere an arrow flew in, scratched her cheek and ended up stuck in the wall behind her. It happened so fast, they could barely do something. Ivar immediately stood up and jumped over to Eira, taking her down to the ground with him.

She was still not reacting, a blank expression on her face. Ivar was lying on top of her, looking down on her face. The blood from the scratch was running down her cheek, to her ear. She was looking in front of her, but not at Ivar. He put his hand on the other cheek and turned her head a little bit towards him. Eira blinked and finally realized what just happened. She let out a breath she was holding for the entire time.

Ivar got off her, removed quickly the metallic contraption so he could crawl. He moved fast to the window and peeked out to see if there was the shooter. His blue eyes scanned the forest and streets but couldn’t find anything. No sign of any movement, nor shooter.

“Ubbe!” he yelled immediately when his eyes spotted his older brother. “Come here, fast!” Ubbe looked at him confused but did what Ivar asked.

“What is going on?” Ubbe asked standing in the doorway, watching the weird scenario in front of him. Eira was sitting on the floor, blood on her face, dripping on her clothes. Ivar was also on the floor, his back against the wall right under the window.

“Someone just shot an arrow on Eira,” Ivar said with an anger in his voice, pointing at the arrow stuck in the wall.

“Who would do that? Nobody knows Eira here. No one has a reason to hurt her..,” Ubbe had a point. Both brothers now laid their eyes on Eira. She slowly swallowed, knowing what was coming. Even though she wasn’t ready, now it was the time for her to speak.


	10. story time

The air thickened by seconds as Eira took a deep breath. She cleared her throat, trying to put sentences together in her head before saying them out loud.

They were sitting on the ground by the fire which was throwing shades and dancing beams of light on them. Both men were watching her every move, making her even more anxious. The blood on her face was almost dry by the time she started to talk. It took her a time to finally speak up. She was careful with each word, sometimes not making proper sentences. Ivar didn’t mind, he understood it’s been a while since she has talked.

It was quiet before she got the courage to open her mouth and let her story be told. Her voice was cracking up here and there, cutting the silence that was surrounding them. Ivar and Ubbe were hanging on her each word. Few times they weren’t almost breathing, few times their eyes were showing a passion for Eira.

This is how it went.

“I-I,” she began not able to hold her tone straight. She shook her head and tried again, different approach. “A jarl wanted to marry me. He was cruel, big and old. One day we went to his town because he invited us. He asked me there to marry him, but I said no. I,” she pointed at herself and continued, “honest. Too much. I said he is too old for me and he is a fool to think I would marry him,” she looked at her hands. Her nails dug into her palms.

“People laughed at him. He told me I would regret it. My father took me and my mother back home to pack some things and leave for safety.” Eira closed her eyes harshly, creases showing off on her forehead.

“When we back home, we packed. Then he came,” she swallowed remembering his face and what he did afterwards. “The Berserker. My father tried to fight him, but he was bigger and stronger. He cut my father from the stomach to throat. Mother screamed. Run, she said. I jumped out of the opened window. When I looked back, he was holding my mother. She was looking at me and he slit her throat,” with the last word a single tear ran down her cheek.

Eira remembered the last conversation she had with her parents. How her mother was yelling at her, how her father was trying to calm her mother down, reassuring that they will be okay. They were not okay. “I ran and ran. He was hunting me like an animal. For a long time, I was ahead of him. I wanted to kill him, but I didn’t have the time to prepare. I was on the run the whole time. He was one step behind me. Until you,” she looked at Ivar, “found me in the woods.”

She thought this would be enough of explaining. But she was wrong.

“What about your scars? You said something about men,” Ivar raised his eyebrow not looking anywhere but Eira.

The sick feeling in her stomach was back. She hoped she would never have to remember that time. 

It changed her so much, she didn't recognize herself since then. Not physically, not mentally. The young, innocent farmer girl was gone. Instead of her, there was a cold, broken killer with only one goal. Revenge.


	11. an empty vessel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter contains violence and rape.

**Eira’s POV, a** **few months ago:**

I was tired of constant running and hiding. My body was tired day by day and my mind was going crazy because of everything that has happened. I was alone, feeding on bugs and little rodents I was capable of catching. With each obstacle ahead of me I was weaker and more fragile. There have been times I thought I would just give up and kill myself or get killed somehow because there was no way I could let the berserker take me back. The survival instincts always kicked me, and I somehow found a strength within me to push further.

One time he almost got me, but I managed to get away from him. I ran two days straight without stopping afraid he might be right behind me. I guess I was wrong because even he needed some time to sleep and rest.

I was walking through the forest full of rocks and I came upon a little cave. I thought I would be safe there for a night. My body was craving some sleep and I couldn’t afford to refuse it because I knew that would slow me down and perhaps kill me.

I lied down on the cold rocky ground, trying to find a position comfortable enough to fall sleep in. It was really hard to fall asleep even if I was lying in a big soft bed because my mind was going on and on, trying to come up with different scenarios.

The pictures of my parents dying, the berserker getting to me... Those were the most repeating situations in my head. I tried to shut down those images and instead I imagined myself killing the Berserker and Jarl Bjarke. My knife kissed by a fire slicing their backs open, me rubbing a salt in their wounds, hearing them scream in agony, me grabbing an axe and hit their back repeatedly until their ribs break.

I’ve always heard of bloody-eagle, but I’ve never seen it. Though my idea of it was clear. They had to pay and there was nothing that could stop me. Sooner or later my ideas will become the reality.

 

“Don’t wake her,” I heard a whisper. My eyes wide open, I jumped up reaching for my knife, but it was nowhere to be found. I looked around.

Three men were standing in the entrance of the cave. Big, bearded men with disgusting smirks on their faces. I knew this wasn’t going to end up well. Either for me or them.

The tallest one made a step towards me, which made me do the same but the opposite way. I was scared but I wouldn’t let them see me like that. I kept my face neutral trying to come up with something to offer them. I wanted to make another step backwards, but my back hit the wall behind me. Damn it. There was no way I could run.

The other men were standing in my only chance of escaping and I couldn’t take them down without my knife. The tall man with a scar on his face was closer and closer which made me uncomfortable and terrified.

“Don’t be afraid,” he said to me with his stupid smirk. He meant in a sarcastic way, licking his lips. My stomach was now on water. I wanted to be far away from this place.

It happened fast.

He tried to grab me, I hit him with my best shot but that wasn’t enough. I was small and in comparison, I was nothing. He was like a mountain and I was a sheep that lost her way from the field. Stupid, little harmless sheep.

They laughed at me. The sound of their amusement echoing later became a thing that haunted me throughout my nightmares. I tried once again. Their laugh made me angry, so I punched him in the nose, hurting my fist, but also breaking his nose. A little achievement. If it was the time for me to die and go to Valhalla, I wasn’t going to go peacefully, I was going to die fighting for my life.

Unfortunately, they were three and I was screwed.

“You bitch,” he yelled at me, holding his nose. The other men stopped laughing, coming towards me. I tried to kick them, but they grabbed me by my arms, pushing my back down so I ended up lying on my stomach on the cold ground. My face was pressed to the ground, almost tasting it. That’s when I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. I felt a kick. Another one. I couldn’t move because the two men were holding me really tight.

My breathing was faster and faster, my heart was in my throat. I was drowning in my tears. I was trying to free myself, jerking from side to side but it was useless. I was too weak. Then I felt it.

Two rough cold hands grabbed my ankles and spread my legs wide open. I felt the cold air hitting my upper thighs and my body froze. No, this couldn’t be happening. Wake up, wake up I was telling myself. My eyes were shut, my brain trying to comfort me by thinking it was just a nightmare. It wasn’t. The two men were now holding me, and my legs, so I wouldn’t kick or move. The first time, I felt every single thing they did to me.

Those hands pulling up my skirt, grabbing my ass. I was screaming from top of my lungs, incapable of doing more.

“No one is coming to save you, sweetheart.”

The image of his dirty rough hands holding my thighs while getting ready to penetrate me made me want to throw up. My whole body was in shock trying to process what was going on. My legs covered in goosebumps. 

What came after that was like a slow motion. I was there, but it felt like my spirit left my body and watched from afar. My nails were buried down in the skin on my palms, making them bleed. It felt like there was no air for me to breathe, my lungs were on fire. The first thrust was the worst. I felt unimaginable pain and afterwards, I felt a warm fluid going down my thigh. With each thrust, the pain became smaller and smaller. After a while I wasn’t trying to resist, it was useless. I gave up and lied there like a broken doll. I wish that was it.

But it wasn’t.

The first night all three of them switched their turns few times. I was so weak, I couldn’t stand and feel my body. The details of this night then became one big blur full of their moaning, laughing and my crying. That’s when I became an empty vessel.

 

 

** 

sorry for the graphics, but it was necessary for you guys to understand truly what she's been through and how it changed her. 


	12. the change

The days were long, painful and tiring. Rape became my everyday routine and I was so weak I couldn’t even think.

The days were alternating with nights and I had no clue about the time. Sometimes they would give me some water, mostly I would be starving wishing to die. They got bored after a while, so they came up with something else.

One night they were slightly drunk from the ale one of them brought. They tattooed each other and thought why not give me a tattoo. My hands were tied together, and I couldn’t fight back because of that and because I was so weak. They pushed me down and pinned me to the ground. My clothes were already ripped so they didn’t even have to do it. The cold air ran over my back causing a little shivering. And the process began.

They were laughing and drinking and stabbing my back. The pain wasn’t bad, probably because my back was numb from the cold.

“Oh, I love it. It suits you, sweetheart,” one of them said when they were all looking at it. I was sobbing a little, trying to be as quiet as possible because I didn’t want them to see me even weaker than I already showed them I was. They marked me like a piece of furniture and I felt like one.

From the lack of food and water I blacked out and I had no idea how long I was out. When I woke up there was a bowl with a water in it. Served to me just like to a dog. Slice of bread was lying next to it. It was mouldy and old, but I ate it so fast I almost choked. I should have known that they gave me food because I needed the strength for what was coming next.

I wasn’t a fun for them anymore, so they decided to whip me over and over again.

First, I wanted to scream but they put a piece of cloth in my mouth. Each hit changed me and from crying, I went to a silence followed by a wave of anger and surprisingly the strength in me grew. I discovered a new side of me which I completely committed to. The blood thirst just took over me and I was no longer Eira, the sweet farmer girl.

It happened that night. They left me lying on the ground thinking I was too weak. They were terribly wrong. It might sound crazy, but I felt like something gave me a strength. Maybe it was my parents who would want me to live and survive.

All three men were sleeping. I felt the pain from my back, but it wasn’t going to stop me. I had to take this chance and with that I quietly sneaked to one of them, carefully took his knife. I slit his throat almost from ear to ear. Blood splashing out and covering my face. He couldn’t even scream how fast it was. I licked my lips, tasting his blood. Then I watched the life leaving his eyes. I wasn’t breathing how satisfied I was. I looked over to the two bodies sleeping opposite.

I did the same with the second man, but I wasn’t going to repeat it on the third. No, he was a special one.

“Sweetheart,” I told him to wake him up. That’s what he called me. I hated that word ever since.

He was the one to come up with the tattoo idea, he was the one who raped me first and of course, he was the one, who suggested the whipping. What a sick bastard. I wanted to skin him alive.

He opened his eyes slowly and I didn’t wait. I stabbed him in the eye, not far enough to damage his brain. He wasn’t gonna go that easy.

“Aarrgh!” he screamed reaching for the knife in his eye.

“Oh no,” I said calmly and took it out. He was now holding his eye, trying to stop the bleeding. He sat up, but I kicked his chest as hard as I could, so he fell down again.

“You bitch,” he spat out. The sound of his voice brought back every single thing he did to me and I remembered what he was saying during it.

“You don’t like it, sweetheart?” I told him just like he did so many times. I jumped to the dead body lying few feet from him, grabbing his axe and my eyes landed on something else. Two nails that fell out of his pocket. A devil smirk came across my face as I took it.

I was standing above him, taking one of those nails. He was still holding his face with his hands, so I grabbed his left one, broke it in the process and nailed it to the ground. I was surprised by the strength I had. It was probably the adrenaline pumping in my blood, but I didn’t really care because all I could think about was all the ways I could kill him. He screamed in agony and to me, it sounded just like the perfect song. I enjoyed every second of it.

“Oh, scream for me sweetheart!” again I repeated his words. I took my knife and ripped his shirt. Then my knife was cutting through him like he was just a butter. I cut my name in his chest, so he could never forget. Even though I was going to kill him, it satisfied me.

My knife got to the hem of his pants. I smiled because I knew my next step. I undid his pants, revealing his little member. I put my knife in the fire, so it would be easier. The strength was slowly leaving me, and I didn’t want to hold his member for long. It disgusted me.

“No, no please, don’t,” he begged, and I laughed when my knife severed his member from the body. The blood loss made him weaker. With the strength I had left I broke his jaw, trying to open his mouth. I stuffed it in his mouth, watching him choking on his own dick.

“How does it taste sweetheart?” innocent irony in my voice. I closed my eyes, letting a deep breath out. Then I pierced his heart with my knife, watching his eyes shut.

My own eyes as I found out later when I saw my reflection got darker. Perhaps they were reflecting the change of my soul.

The adrenaline was no longer in my system and I fell down, exhausted. A weird kind of piece washed all over me as I passed out.

  
***

  
Eira was watching both men in front of her. Their eyes were wide open, so were their mouths. Ivar was pale, he looked like he just saw a ghost. They needed a few minutes to process it.

Then Ubbe spoke out: “What did they tattooed on your back?” Eira totally forgot to mention it.

“Pig whore,” she answered with her jaw clenched. “They thought it would be funny to spell big as a pig,” she added with disgust.

Ivar wanted to kill them, and he was also proud that she managed to do it herself. Even though he thought it wasn’t enough what they got. He would do way worse to them.

“You said you did yourself some scars to your beck?” he was almost whispering. Eira nodded.

“Sometime later, when my back healed I tried to cut the tattoo myself because I didn’t want to be marked like an animal who was about to be slaughtered.” Ubbe raised his eyebrows, watching this tiny girl in front of him. He didn’t expect she was hiding such a strength in her.

“We will help you,” Ivar said turning his head to his brother. Ubbe nodded and added: “You are now with us and we will seek revenge for your family.” Ivar tried to smile at Eira, but the sadness didn’t leave his eyes. He felt sorry for what she’s been through.

Eira noticed and that was one of the reasons she wanted to keep it all to herself. She didn’t want people to look at her differently. She hoped, Ivar wouldn’t.


	13. sensual

The sun was up and shining as bright as the stars were shining in the night over Kattegat. People were busy on streets, kids were enjoying the weather playing by the water. Everyone seemed happy, living their life.

Except for those two souls that weren’t. Eira, who made peace with endless sadness and Ivar, who thought happiness wasn’t important.

Both were inside, preparing for what was coming. Ubbe was no longer with them, he left to get few men with bows and arrows. Just a backup plan. Eira persisted she was going to do it alone, but Ivar wouldn’t let her. He didn’t want her to get hurt.

“He is mine to kill. It is my revenge,” she told him while sharpening her knife. Ivar understood because if he was in her place he would want to do it himself too.

“But I will be close, and I will step in if,” he looked down and finished his sentence almost whispering, “if he hurts you.” Ivar was avoiding Eira’s look like a little boy.

Eira answered him with a stone-cold voice, her emotions absent. “No, you won’t.”

“I will do what I want, nobody tells me otherwise!” Ivar snapped, being his old self. She looked at him, still not showing any emotions. “I will kill him, or I will die trying. Gods already have a plan for me and it is not dying. Not yet,” she added, cutting her finger while trying if her knife is sharp enough. A drop of blood showed up and she put her finger between her lips, sucking it. Ivar was staring at her, forgetting to breathe.

It felt so sensual to him, but at the same time, he was trying to stay uninterested, which was very hard. He was too proud to admit it, but he felt something for her.

“Stop it,” it was like she read his mind. Ivar instantly looked somewhere else, feeling embarrassed from getting caught. “I have no idea, what you’re talking about,” the tone of his voice went little too up. He cleared his throat right away.

A smirk appeared on Eira’s face. “Sure,” she answered him playing his game. She stood up, coming towards Ivar, who was not moving, almost not breathing. She stopped right in front of him, reaching behind him. Ivar was frozen, waiting for her next move.

Eira just took a little cup standing behind him on the shelf. While reaching for it, their faces were so close, their noses almost touched. Her breath on Ivar’s neck sent chills down his back. Once she held the cup, she returned to her spot, dipping her fingers in a dark substance. Ivar let out a breath. He took out his axe, sharping it, not showing the affection she had on him.

Eira pulled out her fingers from the cup, dark paint on them. She then closed her eyes, painting them with it. Once she was done, she looked fierce and dangerous.

“Can you,” Ivar stopped not sure how to continue. Eira just nodded, knowing exactly what he was trying to ask. She came closer to him, dipping her fingers back in the dark paint. Ivar was watching her movement trying to not be distracted by her. She drew two stripes on both of his cheeks. With every touch her fingers made with his skin, Ivar wanted to shiver, but he was trying his best to keep still.

Eira dipped her thumb in the dark substance, her hand then reaching to his chin. She painted one stripe with her thumb from Ivar’s bottom lip to the end of his chin. While her thumb was travelling, slowly painting the stripe, Ivar didn’t realize but his lips parted, a little moan escaping his lips. His eyes widen in surprise.

Eira didn’t notice because she was thinking about too many things. Ivar was relieved.

“Are you ready?” Ubbe came in quite surprised from the view he received. He looked at them both and raised his eyebrows.

“Am I interrupting something?”

“No,” they said in unison. Eira straightened up, cleaning her fingers with a piece of cloth. She gave Ubbe look, nodding. “I am so ready,” she said. Sparkles dancing in her eyes.


	14. fight

The wind blew through the trees causing them to rustle. It was the only sound surrounding Eira as she was slowly sneaking deeper into the forest. Her heart was at the bottom of her stomach from the feeling she knew well enough. He watched her like a trophy he’s about to win.

Though this time she was prepared and stronger than ever. The idea of what she will do to him was driving her forward. In her hands were hidden little blades thrilling to get bloody.

She almost reached the middle of the forest. There were only a few sunbeams that managed to get to the ground through the amounts of leaves on the trees. The silence was interrupted by a noise from somewhere around her. It couldn’t be Ivar, Ubbe nor few of their men. They all been hiding further, watching.

It was Ubbe’s idea which Ivar didn’t like but he adapted to it quickly because Eira didn’t give him the option of deciding. Eira needed it to be done her way and Ivar understood completely.

They were counting that the Berserker was following Eira, watching her from a distance so Eira went to the river for some water to draw some attention from him to herself. Meanwhile, Ubbe and Ivar told about the plan to Floki who wanted to be a part of this because he was so excited to see the bloodshed and he felt sorry for Eira. He saw that little girl in her fading away, changing into a shieldmaiden. Fierce and dangerous.

While Eira was by the river, all the men left to the forest to hide. Eira became annoyed by a minute because she hated to be played. She didn’t want to be the prey anymore, she wanted to be the hunter.

Deep breath in and out.

*“Kom og dræb mig!” she yelled as loud as she could with her voice getting raspy.

From out of nowhere an arrow appeared flying straight towards her. Her reflexes were faster than she thought or maybe it was the adrenaline filling her bloodstream. She made a slight movement with her head to the side, so the arrow just flew inches away from her head.

“Come out and fight!” her voice wasn’t as loud as the first time but the strength of it didn't change.

“You coward!” she added, trying to provoke him.

“Or are you afraid of a girl?!” she spat out, the blades in her hands ready for some action.

Right between two huge trees a silhouette of a big man appeared. His right hand was holding a bow, which he a few seconds later dropped. He began to walk slowly towards Eira. She did the same. Both of them were accelerating until they were running towards each other. He pulled out a sword, Eira was just holding her blades. She was confident enough to not be afraid of his sword. They were closer and closer.

Three... two... one...

Eira instead of stopping in front of him, turned right towards the big tree trunk, running full speed. As fast as she was, she bounced off it, kicking the side of his head, landing on the ground. He couldn’t prevent this, his hand only trying to swing the sword. He fell to the ground, his head spinning.

Eira stepped on his hand, making him let go of the sword. She kicked the sword away, so he wouldn’t reach it. While she was still standing on his hand, his other hand grabbed her ankle, causing her to lose the balance and eventually falling.

He was still shaken from the hit, but he tried to stand up, get a steady position. Eira couldn’t breathe because her back hit a rock. She was still lying in the grass, trying to get some air in her lungs.

Ivar was watching it from the distance, the knuckles on his hands getting whiter and whiter while his fists were so uptight no one could have opened them. “Get up,” he whispered, ready to give an order to his men. It was almost like she heard him. Eira did a kick up, getting immediately in the standing position, ready for round two.

The Berserker took out a butcher-like knife. It was way bigger from Eira’s but she didn’t mind. Her knife was so far resting behind her belt. Her blades were still in her hands, ready to attack. She put her left hand in front of her face, her blade pointing at him. Her right hand was lower on her hip.

The Berserker was eager and attacked first. His knife went for Eira’s neck, which she managed to block with her left hand, wrapping her hand around his, locking it under her arm. Her other hand quickly pointed the blade out, stabbing fast his arm.

The sound of a knife edge hitting the ground.

She felt a satisfaction of some kind but not for long because her face collided with his fist. Blood splattered from her mouth. She lost her grip, almost losing her balance once again. She pierced him with a glance full of rage. He was holding his arm, which was uncontrollably bleeding. Eira wiped her mouth with a sleeve and then spat out the blood.

She was going through the options she had in her head. She didn’t want to kill him yet. She was longing for his suffering. The plan already gathered up in her head.

 

*"Come and kill me!"

ps: I'm sorry if it doesn't make much sense. I suck at writing fight scenes. 


	15. crossing the line

The smell of burned meat soaked in the air so strongly, it would stay in Kattegat for days. It was dark and people were surrounding a bonfire, watching and cheering the act of justice.

Ivar wanted to blood-eagle the bastard but Eira strictly turned that option down. "You should be more open-minded," she told him.

Ivar was now sitting on a wooden chair, ale resting in his hand. His eyes wouldn't leave Eira and he wasn't alone. Everyone was watching her. The stranger girl, who found her voice and strength to get a revenge.

Eira was moving as if she was one with the air and the fire, her moves were fluent, slow but precise.

Once she cut off his both arms with an axe, she took his own butcher-like knife, put it into the fire, so close the flames were running over her skin but she didn't notice. Her skin has been through much worse than this. Once it was hot enough she pressed it against what was left of his arms.

The whole time he was trying not to scream, but after a while, he broke. That was like a lullaby for Eira's ears. Maybe it was something to replace the screaming of her parents while she was trying to forget. A piece of hope for her soul. That was a part of her that still hoped she could be the girl she used to be.

"Kill, kill, kill!" People were cheering but that wasn't Eira's intention.

She turned her head towards Ivar and looked him straight in the eyes. He nodded, no need for words.

Eira was exhausted after such a long day. She told Ivar what she was planning with the Berserker, she just couldn't continue how tired she was.

Ivar slowly walked to her, a stick in his left hand. He still needed the support of it. As soon as he was close enough, he took the knife from her hand, whispering in her ear.

"I got you," he meant it.

Eira sat down to watch. Her eyes were glued to Ivar.

He took that knife once again, held it few seconds in the fire. "Hold his head," he told two men standing by. They did as he said.

"Now open his mouth," again they did what Ivar asked.

He grabbed his tongue, one fast movement with the knife and he was mute forever. He yelled, blood running down his chin. Ivar looked at the tongue in his hand, disgusted. Then he threw it in the fire. His eyes met Eira's. Her face was neutral, no sign of relief or any emotion.

Ivar gave the knife to another man and told him to burn the Berserker's tongue wound and lock him up for the night if he survives. 

He slowly walked towards Eira who was already standing up. Together they walked away, people watching them. 

"It's over, folks!" Ivar yelled before they disappeared inside. 

Once the door closed behind them, Eira let her hair fall down while letting out a breath she held for a while. Ivar sat on her bed, putting his stick down. The tension in the air was thicker and thicker. 

"In two days we will go north to kill the jarl," Ivar told her, his eyes focusing on the ground. 

Eira turned around, brushing her hair. "Not we," she murmured. 

Ivar's eyebrows were almost touching, how much he was frowning. "I am going with you, we all are!" he hissed through his teeth, jaw clenched. 

Eira stopped brushing her hair, came closer to Ivar and sat down next to him. She looked over her shoulder to face him. 

"No more dead people than it needs to be. I don't want anyone to get hurt. I don't want..," she stopped in the middle of a sentence. "You to get hurt," she said to herself as quietly as she could. 

Ivar heard, a smile appeared on his face. "What?" innocence in his voice. He wanted her to say it again. 

She rolled her eyes. "I don't want you to get hurt, or Ubbe, or Hvitserk," she added after a pause. 

Ivar's heart was beating fast, he looked up in the window. The stars were shining brightly in the dark sky. "I should go," he said standing up. 

"No, please, stay." 

Ivar turned around. 

"Why? You're safe now. The Berserker won't hurt you anymore." 

"I don't want to be alone anymore," her voice cracked. 

Those words spoke to Ivar like no others. He felt alone most of his life, even though he was surrounded by so many people at all the times, he was alone. The cripple kid who had to be carried everywhere. Everyone was watching him, feeling sorry for him. The loneliness made him vulnerable. He didn't want to be alone. Maybe now was the time, he won't have to be. 

She stood up right in front of him. They were looking at each other. While watching each other, the knuckles on their hands were touching. Both felt it, but they chose to not break the moment. Their fingers intertwined, electricity in the air made their heart beat faster. 

Eira pulled her hand back, stepping away. She wasn't sure why she did it. She wasn't ready to open to Ivar, nor any men. They caused her too much pain and she didn't know if she could trust them again. Certainly, she knew she wouldn't let a man touch her without her permission, not anymore. Not unless she wants to. 

Eira started a little fire in the fireplace. 

Then she walked to the bed, laying down. Ivar was still standing in the same spot not knowing what to do. Eira made it clear by tapping on the bed next to her. 

He unsure took off the metallic contraption, leaving it behind with his stick. He sat down, picking his legs up on the bed. 

When he lied down, he was looking up. He was too nervous to turn his head around to look at Eira. She smiled and a few minutes later, she fell asleep. Ivar waited little longer until he was sure she was really sleeping. 

He found the courage to lightly turn around, to look at her. Ivar thought he hasn't met a more beautiful woman in his life. She was tough, yet fragile. She was dark, yet the light in here was shining more than the sun. 

Ivar didn't realize it, but his face was closer and closer to her, examining every detail of her face. The few freckles on her nose, a small scar on her forehead. 

Until he crossed the line he once drew. His lips brushed hers.


	16. chaos

Ivar just wanted to feel something. The wave of satisfaction rushed through his body. His lips barely touched hers but it was enough to create a spark that would start a fire. He wasn't breathing, afraid to wake her up.

It wasn't even two seconds and he pulled his head back. He licked his lips, realizing they just brushed hers. His heart was beating so fast it almost jumped out of his chest. He was scared it was too loud it could wake her up. He turned his head to the side and let out slowly a breath he was holding. With that, a tension from his body faded.

One of Ivar's flaws was greed. When he was a little boy he didn't understand that his mother didn't belong only to him. He wanted her for herself. He always wanted more and never realized it was wrong. With an age, he began to understand it was a thing he had and wasn't proud of it. He tried his best not to be greedy but sometimes he couldn't watch it.

Like this time.

Never. He has never felt this way. It was new and exciting. His heart was still beating fast and the back of his neck was covered with goosebumps.

He didn't give it further thought so he turned his head back and went for more. Ivar's lips yet again touched Eira's. This time they stayed there little longer. The look in Ivar's eyes changed. From tender sweet young man to a man filled with darkness and greed. Ivar's mouth started to move. Eira was still asleep. Ivar's tongue tried to find an entrance into Eira's mouth. That's when it went all down the hill.

Eira didn't realize what was going on. Her brain was fully awakened putting her back in time. Her eyes were still shut, pretending she was still asleep. It felt like she was frozen in time, paralyzed by the memories mixed with presence. Her hand unnoticed slowly reached to her thigh where she had been hiding a small knife. Her trembling hand grabbed it tight. The weight of a body was now leaning to her, almost lying on top of her. It felt like forever but in reality, it took seconds.

Eira's knife found its target. Her knife penetrated Ivar's stomach. The whole blade was inside of him. Eira's hand was spasmodically holding the handle of the knife. That's when she finally opened her eyes. Her mind was messing with her and she thought she will see the face of one of the men from the cave. How she wished it was one of them when she opened her eyes to see Ivar. His eyes were wide open so was his mouth.

Eira didn't know what to do, she still thought it was a trick. This couldn't be true. Her eyes travelled from Ivar's face to her hand that was still holding the knife. Blood started to soak his shirt, her hand was covered in it. Eira immediately let go of the knife, keeping it in Ivar's stomach. It was the safer option.

Then she gently turned Ivar on his back. She grabbed his face and sincerely told him: "I am so sorry," tears were running down her cheeks. Ivar wanted to say something, his lips moving but no sound leaving them.

"I'll be right back, just keep your eyes open!" With that, she ran out.

Luckily, Ubbe's hut was really close. Eira didn't bother with knocking. "Ivar's bleeding bad, he needs help!" she yelled at Ubbe who was just about to take his shirt off while making out with Margrethe. They both jumped up, stopped whatever they were doing and followed Eira.

Margrethe took her bag with medicine she had since Eira was hurt. Ivar was still lying on his back, one hand covering his wound. His breathing was shallow and his eyes were almost shut. Eira just stood in the doorway, enabled to move. She was watching the scene in front of her, like a slow-motion movie.

Out of nowhere, Hvitserk came in bumping Eira's shoulder. She didn't react, she was just standing there.

The whole time Ivar's head was turned to her direction. His eyes were slowly shutting but he managed to keep them open. Few more people came to help. Everyone was doing something, trying to secure the knife so it wouldn't make a damage before pulling it out. So Ivar wouldn't bleed out.

Ivar's eyes were attached to Eira. He knew it wasn't her fault. He wanted to let her know. He didn't blame her. It was his fault. He should have realized it was wrong especially because of what she went through.

Eira's eyes were filled with tears. She blinked to let them fall. This is what happens when someone wants to get closer to her. Ivar was hurt because of her. She felt like a danger to everyone so she made a decision. She shooked her head. Her eyes connected with Ivar's.

"Goodbye," she whispered and unnoticed she disappeared into the darkness outside. Everything was chaotic that night.

There was one clear and devoted soul that knew loneliness is the only resolution. Eira made up her mind and with a broken heart she quietly went towards her destiny.


	17. remorse

While most people in Kattegat were worried about Ivar, Eira walked freely on the street. Moon was shining just enough for her to see. Her heart was hurting because of the guilt she felt. She didn't mean to hurt him, it was the opposite. Her denial was clouding her true feelings. And the truth was, she cared about him. 

While passing by a large hut, she turned right. First, she had to go for the berserker. Eira stopped because she noticed a man guarding the door. He didn't notice her. She merged with the darkness surrounding her. 

Quickly, but quietly she sneaked behind him. With one fast unexpected move, she had him in a grip. He couldn't do anything. With every attempt to get from her grip around his neck, her arms tightened up. Eventually, he blacked out from the lack of oxygen. Eira carefully put him to the ground. She didn't want to hurt anyone else. She took a knife from the man. 

Her hand pushed the door open. It was dark, cold and a weird smell was in the air. The Berserker was in the middle. He was up, watching her. Eira came closer to him, showing him the knife. 

"Don't do anything stupid." 

She cut the rope which was tied around his ankle. He didn't move an inch of his body. Maybe out of fear, maybe he was too weak. Eira took the rest of the rope. 

"Get up," she told him, anger leaving her voice. 

He looked at her, his eyes full of rage and humiliation. "I said," she paused and took a deep breath, "get up!" Her voice went up. He still didn't move. 

Eira lost her temper. With a quick move, she held the knife to his throat. 

"I will cut something else. A piece, by piece, if you don't get up." She heard him swallow which made a corner of her mouth go up with a smirk. 

He got up. The lost of his limbs made him clumsy but he was strong enough to not die. She was sure he wanted to send her to the places where the sun doesn't shine, but he couldn't. It felt great. Eira took the rope and tied it around his neck. Like her own little dog. 

"You won't bite, will you?" if looks could stab, Eira would be dead by now. 

"We have a long way in front of us and maybe eventually I will put you out of your misery. After all, my name means merciful," she laughed bitterly. 

With that, she led him out. But before they left Kattegat behind, she took a bow, arrows and an axe from the armoury. 

They were on the move the whole night. Eira had to make a few stops because she knew the Berserker needed some rest. His body was weaker and healing. She wasn't as cruel as she made herself look.

The Berserker was tired and barely moving. Eira frowned and admitted they should stop.

"We will sleep over there. I'm giving you a warning. Don't do anything stupid."

Even if he wanted to, he was too weak to try anything. Plus he didn't have any option but run and that wouldn't make a difference for him.

Eira came closer to him, taking off the rope from his neck. She felt slightly sorry for him. She slapped herself mentally, reminding herself what he has done to her parents.

Her hands grabbed his ankle and tied the rope to it, attaching it to the tree.

Then she started a little fire, just to keep them warm. The nights were always cold in the wild. Eira has experienced a fair amount of them. Too much for one person.

She laid her back against the tree, stretching her legs. With one eye she was watching the Berserker but her mind was somewhere else. With someone else.

Ivar. She couldn't stop thinking about him, praying to gods.

"Ódin, don't take him yet. It's not his time to go to Valhalla, not yet," she whispered, her eyes watering.

#### Meanwhile:

"He's waking up!" Margrethe screamed as soon as she noticed Ivar's opening eyes.

He wasn't strong enough but he wanted to yell at her back, tell her to shut her damn face.

"Brother," Ubbe appeared right next to his face. His face was worried. Ivar was absorbing the situation he was in. His eyes scanned the whole room. They were looking for a special someone. He opened his mouth, trying to form words. His body wouldn't listen and a weird noise came out of his mouth.

"Wh-," was all that he managed to say. His hands were now in fists, his knuckles white.

"Relax. You need to gain your strength but it won't happen overnight."

Ivar just rolled his eyes at Ubbe's words.

"Eira?" he successfully squeezed her name out of his mouth.

It was just now when everyone looked around, searching for a petite dark-haired girl.

Ivar wanted to get up, but his body was against him. It was like it didn't belong to him as if his body was living its own life. Ivar wanted to scream, but with every attempt, his stomach hurt more.

Where are you? Was the last thought he had before he blacked out.


	18. questions

The next morning both Eira and Ivar woke up thinking about each other. 

Ivar wanted to go and look for her. No matter how his body was doing, that was the only thing that bothered his mind. He needed her. He wanted to be there for her when she finally kills the Jarl. She made him happier and that was something he didn't believe in for a long time. 

Eira, on the other hand, felt as if she was cursed. Ivar was the poor man that got into her way which may have cost him his life as far as she knew. 

"Come on!" Ivar yelled at himself, mad. 

"What is going on?" Ubbe came in running. 

"What do you think?" 

"You don't want to go out there to look for her, right?" 

Ivar gave him a look that said it all. Screw you, I'm going. 

"I need to,-" he paused, "we need to go and help her." 

"Why should we? She can take care of herself and it's her revenge, not ours," Ubbe studied Ivar's facial expressions. 

"Why should we? We have to!" Ivar was doing gestures with his hands to ventilate his feelings. Ubbe raised his eyebrows. "Why is that?" He wanted to make Ivar say it. He wanted to hear it coming out of his mouth. 

"Because it's her!" Ivar was yelling and Ubbe was calm as ever. He wanted to smirk but he kept his cool to not mess this situation before the big finale. 

"So what? It's just a girl," he pushed more. 

"No! It's Eira!" the veins on Ivar's neck were almost popping out. Without realizing it, he was already sitting, not feeling the pain in his stomach. 

"So?" 

"It's my girl!" once he said it, it was out there. He admitted it. Ivar's eyes widen in shock because he let it slip between his lips. Until that moment he didn't want to believe it because that would in his mind make him weaker, more vulnerable. 

Ubbe couldn't help it but smirk appeared on his face. Ivar noticed immediately, reached for his little blade and threw it at Ubbe. It scratched his ear, Ubbe couldn't even react. 

"You didn't hear anything!" Ivar murmured between his teeth. His face stone cold, eyes glued on Ubbe. 

His brother touched the bleeding ear. "What the hell?!" 

"You-won't-say-a-word," Ivar said slowly, emphasizing each word. 

Ubbe didn't respond, instead, he turned around to pull the blade out of the wall behind him. He made his way to Ivar's bed. 

"I won't but you have to tell me something." 

Ivar's eyebrow went up. "What?" 

"Do you love her?" 

***  
this one is short on purpose!


	19. do you?

The sun was up, it wasn't as cold as the day before. 

Eira and her 'company' were walking on the edge of the forest for a few hours. Eira hated walking. Ever since she has been running from one danger to another. As a young innocent kid, she loved it and everything connected to it. She felt free and happy doing it. 

Not anymore. Running made her feel like an animal, scared for its life. Traps waiting for her everywhere, danger constantly following behind. She hated that feeling so she told herself this would be the last time. 

Once she's done with the Jarl she'll stop. She will go somewhere in the mountains to live, alone. Maybe try to farm a little bit or to build something. But her head was a mess. She didn't set her mind straight yet. 

From the time her parents died she knew what will happen, what she wanted.

Now she was confused by everything. One person particularly caused her all the confusion and that was Ivar the Boneless.

There have been moments when she hated men, all of them. The pain they caused her was big enough for her to end her life. She thought about it a lot but if she killed herself it would mean that the men won and she couldn't let that happen.

Then she met Ivar. He was different from the men she has been encountered with. Not because of his legs but because he was more than just a cripple and no one really saw past that. He could have killed her but he saw past her defensive mechanism which made her look like a crazy cold-blooded killer. Ivar saw more, he believed she was good.

Eira smiled thinking about their first encounter.

"There is a river. We're gonna rest here," she commanded.

The berserker was too weak so she didn't bother leaving him without securing him to a tree. 

Eira looked around. The view was beautiful. It reminded her of her old farm. The sun was slowly hiding behind the mountains, the birds were tweeting, the river was beautiful and calm.

Eira took out a bottle she's been carrying to fill it with a water. As soon as it was full she took a big sip of it. The water had a weird taste but she didn't mind because she was so thirsty.

She looked over to see if the Berserker wanted to drink but he was on the ground, sleeping.

"Your loss," she said and drank the whole bottle.

Before going back to the Berserker, she filled it again.

Eira looked around before sitting down, her eyes trying to scan the space around them for any threat.

It wasn't even dark yet and she felt tired. She looked over at the Berserker and wondered. Was it too cruel what she did to him? What is his name? Does he have a family? Children? Was it right for her to punish him?

Eira's brain couldn't stop the process of questioning her every decision. From the Berserker, it took a turn to someone else. Ivar.

Is he alive? Will he ever forgive her? What did he see in her?

Eira was confused by her feelings towards him. 

Suddenly her stomach started to hurt. A sharp pain that caused her to lay down, hugging her stomach. She started uncontrollably sweating, her throat dry. It hurt so much but she didn't want to cry or scream. She bit her lip, holding it in. She hugged her legs right below the knees, holding them close to her stomach in kind of a baby looking position. Then she rocked from back to front, comforting herself. 

Meanwhile:

"There's no such a thing as love!" Ivar rolled his eyes, trying to avoid the answer because he wasn't sure by it either. 

"There is brother and you know it," Ubbe was watching his younger brother biting his lip. 

"We are losing time here! We need to get going," Ivar was beginning to lose it. His heart was beating faster, so was his breathing. 

"Just answer my question and we can go right now," Ubbe persisted. "Do you love her?" 

"What do you think? I wouldn't risk my life or yours for a random girl who didn't mean anything to me. Now can you stop asking me these stupid questions and finally get me out of the bed?" 

"So you do," Ubbe answered to his own question and smiled. 

"I never said that," Ivar smirked knowing his brother saw right through him for the first time in their lives. 

Ubbe came close to Ivar, so he could lift him up and take him outside, where there was his horse waiting with a wooden construction attached to it. He then put Ivar down to sit, handing him the reins. 

"Wait here a second. I'll go and take some weapons and few people." Ivar nodded. 

While waiting he couldn't stop smiling. He was thinking about Eira.


	20. seek

Two bodies were lying not far from the river, somewhere between it and the edge of the forest. One was calm, breathing steadily. The other one was shaking in pain, caught in crams.

Eira wouldn't scream. The pain was bad but she knew that if she conquers it through the night, she will be alright. Perhaps that was just her naive idea.

She began to lose consciousness. Her eyes began to feel heavier and heavier. With each breath, the pain hit again. Eira bit her lip so strong it started to bleed right before she passed out.

(fyi: I accidentally wrote she passed away, that would be interesting for sure, lmao)

Meanwhile:

Bunch of men were riding their horses in the deep forest searching for one girl. She wasn't just a girl. She was special to someone. She was special to Ivar who was leading them furiously.

They followed tracks she unaware left behind.

The moon was up in its full glory shining down, creating sparks of light in such a dark place. It was somehow ironic because that's how Ivar felt. He was the darkness and Eira was the only source giving him the light he desperately needed. He couldn't just let her go.

The hope she brought to his life was small but it was big enough reason for Ivar to fight for her.

Ivar was slowly realizing what he can have in a future. Till now he only thought he will be alone for the rest of his life. Well, now he felt hope for something better than that.

"We're getting close," one man yelled.

Ivar's face lit up like a candle.

"Good," he whispered, his eyes glued on the way in front of him.

It didn't take them long to reach the river.

"Our horses need some water. We have to stop for a while," Ubbe said out loud so everyone would hear him.

Ivar nodded, getting off the wooden construction. He sat on the ground, looking around when his eyes landed on something weirdly shaped at a distance.

"Ubbe, come here!"

"What's wrong?"

"Look," he pointed in the direction he was looking. "There's something over there. Do you see?"

"It's probably nothing. Maybe a sleeping dear or so."

Ivar wasn't convinced. Something didn't feel right but he let it be. His eyes looked back at the river. The water was still, horses were resting. It was a beautiful night, he had to admit it.

A noise from distance. Ivar's eyes landed on his men. No one seemed to notice anything. Was it in his head? Was he so desperate he made it up? He wasn't sure. He looked at the river again. The moon was reflecting on the surface, dancing. 

This time he heard it again. It wasn't loud, but he was sure he didn't make it up because Ubbe's head turned too. 

"Did you hear that?" Ubbe nodded. "Maybe a hurt animal?" 

"Or Eira..." 

"Well, where does it come from?" 

Ivar looked around but it was hard to tell. They were in the middle of a field, surrounded by nature. 

That sound again. 

"I think it's coming from there," Ivar pointed out. It was in the direction he once saw the weirdly shaped object. 

Ivar didn't wait for a response. He started to crawl. He was fast and he merged with the tall grass. Even if he was crawling straight towards danger no one could see him. Ubbe followed him, giving the men order to stay put, prepared for whatever is coming. 

While they were slowly getting closer, another now louder moan could be heard.

Few more feet...

Ivar's eyes widen when he realized it wasn't a sleeping animal. Two people were lying on the ground, asleep.

It was too dark for Ivar to see faces or anything, really. He needed to get closer.

"Psss," he showed Ubbe with his finger to go quietly around them.

Ivar took out his axe for safety.

"Ivar!" out of nowhere a familiar voice came out of the person laying down.

His heart skipped a beat.

Ivar crawled right straight to Eira. She was sleeping, probably hallucinating. Ubbe whistled to let the men know they are supposed to get to them.

When the man with a torch was close enough, Ivar's face turned into a stone. Eira was lying in the pool of blood.


	21. bad and good

Ivar's fingertips lightly touched Eira's cheek. 

She was stone cold, sweat covering her forehead. Her hands were holding her belly, her breathing was fast and loud. 

"Ubbe!" Ivar yelled at his brother with a worried expression. 

Ubbe kneeled down, right next to his brother. His eyes scanning Eira's whole body. Neither he or his brother could find the source of bleeding. But they both knew Eira was in pain.

When one of their men came closer, bringing Ivar's horse, he spoke up. 

"I've seen this already," he looked at Eira. 

"Then what is it?!" Ivar's voice went up. 

"That's how my wife lost our child," he answered quietly, looking down at his feet. 

Ivar froze and turned around to look at this man. He was holding his breath, his eyes twitching. That can't be right. He looked back at Eira. Was it possible that she was carrying a child? But,- 

His heart dropped. 

Eira was carrying a child from one of those pigs. His heart was aching for her. She had to go through such a terrible experience, she managed to survive and like it wasn't enough one of those bastards made her a child? 

"Ubbe," Ivar managed to say, "take her on my horse. We need to hurry up," Ivar turned around his jaw clenched, his breathing faster. 

The anger took over him, he looked at the Berserker who was sitting close by, watching it all. He wanted to kill, he needed to kill desperately. For a split of a second, the old Ivar was back. No feelings besides the hunger for killing. The darkness was back again, making Ivar ruthless and cruel. 

"You did that! It's your damn fault!" his eyes were burning the Berserker from head to toe. 

No facial expression on the Berserker's face. He wanted to finally die so he raised his eyebrow, to piss Ivar even more. 

All the men were getting ready for a way back. 

Ivar took out his blades, crawling straight towards him. The Berserker couldn't fight back. He was like a broken toy that lost its purpose. 

Ivar's hand grabbed his throat, squeezing it so hard he couldn't breathe. 

"How does it feel? The air can't get to your lungs, you're gasping for it but it won't help. It's burning your lungs and your head starts to pound as if someone was banging it with a hammer. How-does-it-feel?" The Berserker was looking at him, pure panic in his eyes. 

"That's how Eira felt when you killed her parents, when you hunted her like an animal. She couldn't breathe freely because she felt trapped. All because of you," Ivar spat in his face. 

His hand lost his grip a little bit just to give him a taste of air. Just a little bit. 

Ivar didn't notice, but all men were watching him. Including his brother, who wasn't happy. Ubbe didn't care about the Berserker, he cared about Ivar. It was disturbing to see him back with his old behaviour. Ivar the Boneless, the cruel Viking thirsty for blood. It scared Ubbe to see that this part was still somewhere in him. Yes, this Ivar was way better at battles and conquering lands and kingdoms but he was too dangerous and too blind to other aspects of life. 

"Ivar!" Ubbe yelled at his brother. 

Ivar heard but he couldn't let anything to get in between him and the Berserker. He just raised his hand to show Ubbe to let him finish what he has once started. 

"Alright," Ubbe whispered, looking at Eira. He touched her forehead. She was burning up. 

"Hurry!" he yelled at his brother. 

Ivar was in his own world. It was only him and hundreds of ways to kill this bastard. 

"Ivar!" now the voice changed. It wasn't Ubbe, it was Eira calling for him. She was still unconscious, screaming from her sleep. 

It was like a click. 

It was like there were two Ivars fighting inside of him. 

One wanted to stop and get to Eira but the other one wanted to finish the Berserker because it wouldn't have happened to Eira if it wasn't for him. 

The dark Ivar pulled through. 

His hand was still holding the Berserker's throat, the other one was already covered in blood as it went in and out of his stomach. He was repeatedly stabbing him in his stomach and chest. Ivar's crazy eyes were watching the life leaving the Berserker's. 

Right before he died, Ivar was quick enough to whisper in his ear. 

"You will never get to Valhalla." 

Ivar left the blade in his chest, drawing few lines with his bloody fingers on his face. 

He crawled back to his horse. Ubbe tried to help him up on his wooden carriage but Ivar refused. With his upper body strength, he got up, sitting right next to Eira. 

The whole way back he was holding her hand, hoping she will be alright.


	22. the healing

That night was one of the longest in Ivar's life.

He never cared for someone so much as he did for Eira.

Every time she yelled from sleeping or even slightly growled he was there, sweating enough for both of them, holding her hand.

Not once he left her side.

There wasn't a need he needed to full-fill more than to be with Eira.

He was her guardian angel watching over her, her every breath and move.

The sun was rising slowly and its first beams of light landed on Eira's face.

Gods, she was beautiful.

Ivar couldn't get enough of looking at her when the light was touching her skin, making her look even more angelic.

His eyes didn't leave a single detail on her face. He was admiring her as if she was a beautiful art. A painting so surreal he thought he was dreaming.

"I lo,-" he wanted to say something but he was cut off with her voice.

"Ivar?" she whispered, slowly waking up.

She slowly opened her eyes, carefully because the light was too bright for her.

"It's me, I'm here."

"Gods, you're alive! I didn't kill you but wha-... Where am I? What happened?" She wanted to move but the pain stopped her from doing it. Her hand travelled down to her stomach.

Ivar didn't know how to tell her. He didn't want to hurt her but he knew she needed to know.

"Once I was able to travel I had to go find you. We did eventually. You were lying in the middle of nowhere, hurt." Ivar swallowed when he thought of it.

"Eira...," he looked in her eyes, the most sincere expression on his face she saw so far.

She was confused, waiting for his words.

"You were with a child and you lost it."

Nothing. Her face was like frozen in time, not a single muscle in her face moved.

Although, her eyes began to water. 

She looked away, tears running down her cheeks. She hated when someone saw her vulnerable. 

"I," Ivar was trying to say something, but he was speechless. Is there anything he could say to make it better? No. 

Suddenly Eira sat up, not showing any sign of pain she was in. It hurt bad like as if someone stabbed her and pulled out her guts. But this pain was nothing compared to her emotional pain.

The thought of her carrying a child that was created from a rape by those disgusting men made her want to die.

She felt dirty and confused.

Yes, it was just a baby. Innocent just like she used to be. But it was made out of rape, violence and abuse.

For a second she thought about having that child. Every time she would look at it, it would remind her of the worst time of her life.

She felt bad because she was okay with losing it. Eira had no idea what would she do if she carried the child to the end. Would she be able to kill it or leave it somewhere? 

What kind of person would she be then?

Ivar watched her the whole time. He didn't know what to do. Did she want to be alone? Ivar knew he couldn't let her be alone because she might have done something she would regret later. Or something she couldn't take back.

"Eira," he began but was shut by her look.

"Don't," was all she said.

"I'm sorry," he told her sincerely. His eyes travelled to the other side of the room because he was being vulnerable and honest.

Eira heard his voice echoing but his words didn't go past that. She was still in shock, confused by her emotions. She was just sitting there, tears still coming even though she tried to stop it. 

Ivar lightly moved towards her. She was caught up in thinking, not noticing him. 

He sat right next to her. So close, their thighs were touching. Ivar wished he could feel that electricity travelling through his body but he couldn't. 

Eira couldn't hold her emotions back anymore. She rested her head against Ivar's shoulder, letting tears freely fall down. Ivar was sitting still, surprised by her action. He didn't want to move, afraid she might pull back. 

His heart was beating fast, chills covered his neck. He was forgetting to breathe properly. 

Once he inhaled some air, he slowly touched Eira's hand. She didn't flinch. Again, she surprised him by holding his hand. Ivar's heart beating was so fast it could jump out of his chest. 

Eira sobbed and Ivar didn't know how to comfort her more. So this time he was the one to rest his head against hers. With minutes going by their breathing were in sync. They were perfectly matching each other. Ivar's thumb was drawing little circles on Eira's skin. 

Eira felt safe after a long time. Broken, confused but the heat from Ivar's body made her feel like home. Was this enough?


	23. peace

The moon was shining brightly over the Kattegat. Almost all the people were asleep including Ragnar's sons. 

Eira couldn't sleep no matter how hard she tried. The pain was gone but it wasn't the physical pain that was eating her alive. Her mind was going crazy thinking about everything that has happened to her. While she was lost in her thoughts her eyes travelled towards the window, watching the moon in the sky. 

Her parents would have loved Kattegat. She thought of her father who loved fishing, she thought of her mother who would cook the most delicious fish she has ever eaten. 

Eira thought of decisions she made. What if she agreed to the marriage? Her eyes began to water. 

She might not be happy but her parents would be alive, she wouldn't become a cold-blooded murderer. Then she imagined Ivar. She wouldn't have met him if she'd marry that old bastard. She would never feel how she feels around him. Maybe there was something good after all but was she worthy of having something nice after everything she has done? 

No. Eira didn't believe she deserves anything good. She considers herself as a disease slowly spreading and everyone who gets to her will get hurt or die. 

Eira's legs swang over the edge of a bed, lightly touching the cold ground beneath her. She stood up and slowly walked towards the door. Just in her nightgown, she stepped out barefoot outside. 

The air was chilly but calming. 

She headed towards the lake. With each step, she left something behind. The bad memories, the abuse, even her good memories. She needed her head to be quiet for a while. The lake was few feet away from her. 

She stopped, inhaled the cold night air, closing her eyes. 

Her feet were moving towards the water. It was really cold but she didn't care. She just needed to stop the noise for a while. Eira kept going deeper and deeper. The water was reaching her belly already. Goosebumps were covering her whole arms as she was walking further. Her hands were lying on the surface of the water. She stopped once the water reached her neck. 

Eira slowly turned around, looking back on Kattegat. It was so beautiful, her parents would have loved it. She turned back again, taking a deep breath in. Then she disappeared under the water. 

It was finally quiet after a long time. It felt as if she became one with the water. Few little bubbles left her nose as they danced their way up to the surface. Eira smiled because she felt peace. All the thoughts went away.

She wished she could be like this forever. With that, she realized her time was running and her lungs were in need of an air.

A little sadness filled her when she had to go up. She didn't go all the way up, just the top of her head and her nose so she could take a deep breath in and maybe stay down for a little longer.

While she was inhaling the air there came a thought. A small but not so harmless idea. What if she stayed down there and never got back up?

The world would be better off without her and she could finally be with her parents. Just a few more minutes and it would be over.

She looked up to see the moon. She closed her eyes and disappeared once again. This time she wanted to be there longer, maybe forever. She was conflicted but once she was alone surrounded by the water she became calm, peaceful.

The water was making her go up so she made a few moves with her hands to get deeper. It was dark and the only thing she could see was a fuzzy reflection of the moon in the sky above her.

She had no idea how long she's been there. The time went by differently. Maybe it was just a matter of seconds but to her, it felt like minutes, almost hours.

Suddenly a pair of hands appeared out of nowhere, grabbing her by her waist, pulling her out. She didn't expect it so with a shock some of the water got up her nose and mouth. 

Swiftly she managed to get out of the grip, coughing. Once her eyes spotted the intruder who probably thought is a hero saving her, she thought: "Oh, no."


	24. secret conversations

"Oh, no." 

Eira was starring into the pair of light blue eyes. Pair of hands again tried to grab her but she got away. 

"What are you doing?!" 

"Leave me alone!" she didn't bother to answer his question, mainly because it was none of his business. 

The air was filled with anger and confusion. The water was so cold their every breath came out as a little cloud of steam. 

"Fine. I'm curious what Ivar has to say about it," he began to swim away, towards the shore. 

"Wait, Bjorn!" Eira did the same, following him. 

He heard her but he was acting like he didn't. Eira was only a few feet behind him. Once she was out of the water, she tripped over a stone. With her whole body weight, she fell down like a sack of potatoes. 

Bjorn turned around, immediately returning back. He wanted to laugh but he didn't. Instead, he reached out his hand for Eira to take. She looked up, grabbing his hand. Bjorn pulled her up without moving a single muscle in his body. 

Her whole forearms were bleeding. Little stones got stuck in her skin, creating little wounds that bled. 

"Damn it," she murmured. 

"Come with me. I'll try to fix you up," Bjorn turned around, not waiting for her answer. It was more like a command. Eira just followed him in silence. She couldn't let him tell it to Ivar. No matter what her intentions were. 

Bjorn's hut was plain and kind of sad. There were no things that would make it feel warmer, more like home. One big bed in the corner, fireplace and a little table by the window was all he had. 

When Eira looked around she noticed it wasn't all. On the opposite wall, there were hanging a lot of weapons. From axes to swords, blades, knives and other questionable objects she couldn't name. 

"Sit," he once again commanded. 

"No." 

Bjorn turned around to face her, his eyes burning her down. "Sit," he repeated. 

"You didn't see anything," Eira muttered between her teeth. Her eyes were burning him as well. This game could be played by two and Eira wasn't gonna let Bjorn intimidate her. After what she's been through Bjorn didn't scare her and he didn't know it, which gave Eira a leverage. 

Bjorn smirked. "Oh, you mean your suicide mission?" 

The blood from Eira's forearms was dripping on the floor. Bjorn's eyes looked at her hands.

"You're making a mess in here. Come. Sit. I'll fix you up and then we can talk," he sounded calm. 

Eira rolled her eyes, letting out a frustrating breath. She walked over to his bed, sitting on the edge. Bjorn brought a little bucket filled with water and a piece of cloth. 

He then started really lightly cleaning her wounds. He had to use his fingers to take out those little stones. Some of them were quite deep. 

Here and there he looked at Eira just to know if it hurt her or not. She didn't move an inch, not even her facial expression changed. While fixing her up, he tried to get to know more about her business in the water. 

"Why weren't you asleep?" he asked the first question, not hurrying to the point. 

"Why weren't you asleep?" she answered with the same question. 

"I had to piss," he answered casually, not admitting he had a nightmare and that's why he was up. "Your turn." 

"I couldn't sleep," Eira was honest but kept it simple. She didn't want to give him too much information because she didn't really know him and she didn't trust him. 

"But why did you go to the lake?" 

"I felt like it." 

"Did you want to kill yourself?" 

"That's none of your business." 

The air became thicker and both of them felt it. It was like a secret conversation between them, yet they were strangers. 

"You did, didn't you?" 

Eira looked down, not answering. She wasn't sure herself so she couldn't give him an answer even if she wanted to. 

"No?" her voice went up, she was questioning herself. 

"I don't really know you but you don't strike me as a weak person. You may look like a tiny fragile girl but I've heard about you. I've heard what you did to the berserker. Hell, you could kill Ivar before you blacked out the first time he met you. I heard all about it," Bjorn said while moving to Eira's other forearm. 

"Sometimes I wish I was just a fragile girl," she almost whispered.


	25. secret conversations pt. 2

It was quiet for a while but it felt like forever. Eira's wounds were almost cleaned up.

Bjorn heard her and he understood her completely. He couldn't imagine the horrors she's been through. He heard about it, felt sorry for Eira at some point but he could never truly imagine it.

The first time he heard about Eira's existence was when his brothers were talking about some girl who attacked Ivar.

Then it became a new exciting story for people to gossip about. Eira has become a fresh air of entertainment in their boring lives.

Oh, Bjorn heard all the versions about her life. Some of them were blown out of proportions. He never believed those.

Out of nowhere, he began to talk.

"I had a nightmare. That's why I couldn't sleep and therefore that's why I was up so late," not just Eira but both of them were quite surprised by Bjorn's honesty.

"I have those too," something changed in Eira's eyes when she said it out loud. 

Bjorn didn't want to push Eira, he just raised his eyebrows watching her. 

"The worst thing is, it always begins nicely - I'm happy, everything is okay and then,-" she couldn't say it out loud. 

"I understand," Bjorn said honestly. It was something Eira didn't hear in a long time and she felt like he really did mean it. 

"I wanted it to be quiet, even for a few seconds." Eira kept going. Perhaps it was the atmosphere that made her talk because she felt like whatever she says will stay in that hut and only there. 

This time Bjorn didn't say anything, he just kept listening to what she has to say. While listening, he was gently touching her hands, getting rid of the last tiny stones in her skin. 

Eira continued, her eyes focused on one spot in the room. 

"The voices won't leave me alone," pause, "my mother's and father's scream when they were slaughtered. Over and over again," Eira's breathing was faster. 

"I hear him calling me sweetheart and sometimes I can feel his hands choking me. As if he was still with me and I can't bear it anymore. I had to try and turn it off. Even for a few seconds," Eira was saying whatever she wanted, not trying to filter anything. 

"When I was down there it was calm and quiet. No screaming, no voices in my head. Just me, the old me. The simple girl who enjoyed the little things in life," her voice went down at the end of the sentence.

Minutes of talking changed into hours. Without realizing it Eira spent the whole night talking about everything she had in mind. Bjorn was listening. Sometimes he would nod, sometimes he opened up to her too.

And then it happened. For the first time, Eira started talking about her miscarriage. Her eyes began to water. 

"It's been inside of me the whole time," she couldn't say baby because it didn't feel right. 

Bjorn looked upset because it brought back the memories. The day he found out about Siggy. He wasn't a good father to her and it was clear like a day because this was the first time he thought of her since then. He almost forgot and that feeling of realization stabbed him in the heart. 

Bjorn turned around, not showing his tearing eyes to Eira. 

"I had a daughter," Bjorn said trying to keep his voice straight. "I was a bad father. I couldn't look at her because she reminded me of her mother. I was too self-centred to realize she needed a parent to look out for her and I wasn't there," he was almost whispering. 

"If I would give a birth to it I wouldn't be better. It would remind me of the hell I've been dragged through." For a while there was a silence, then she added: "Maybe it's the way gods are testing us both." Bjorn just nodded his head. 

The sun was rising, waking up the animals outside. 

"I should go," Eira got up, heading towards the door. Her clothes were fully dry now. Right before opening the door she turned around wanting to say something but Bjorn was faster. 

"Don't worry, it will stay safe with me." Eira smiled at him, opening the door just slightly so she could look out. 

It was too early, no one was out yet. She lifted up her gown a little, so it wouldn't get under her feet causing her to fall again. Bjorn was standing at the door watching her leaving. 

"Thank you," was all she said and right after she swiftly disappeared behind the corner. 

Neither one of them knew they weren't alone. Someone saw them.


	26. hurt

##### Billie Eilish - ocean eyes (just go and listen) 

***

Ivar grabbed another cup filled with ale. His silhouette was merging with the darkness surrounding him. The only light in the room was coming from the east window. Even though the sun was slowly rising above, it looked very dark inside.

Ivar was taking a sip when the door opened. A curvy girl with long light hair came in. She was smiling from ear to ear.

Ivar was a little bit drunk.

"Come here!" He commanded and she obeyed.

"What's your name?" he asked, licking his lip.

"Oili," she giggled.

Ivar rolled his eyes at the sound of it and drank the rest of his ale. He raised his hand with an empty cup.

Oili went straight up to him but didn't make it in time. Another girl who was standing in the corner managed to grab it out of his hand quicker.

Ivar looked at her without moving his head, smirking. The ale was strong but he needed way more to get properly drunk.

"Too slow," he mocked the blonde one.

"I can be faster in many different activities," she came closer, seducing Ivar with her long lashes.

Billie Eilish - ocean eyes (just go and listen) 

Ivar grabbed another cup filled with ale. His silhouette was merging with the darkness surrounding him. The only light in the room was coming from the east window. Even though the sun was slowly rising above, it looked very dark inside.

Ivar was taking a sip when the door opened. A curvy girl with long light hair came in. She was smiling from ear to ear.

Ivar was a little bit drunk.

"Come here!" He commanded and she obeyed.

"What's your name?" he asked, licking his lip.

"Oili," she giggled.

Ivar rolled his eyes at the sound of it and drank the rest of his ale. He raised his hand with an empty cup.

Oili went straight up to him but didn't make it in time. Another girl who was standing in the corner managed to grab it out of his hand quicker.

Ivar looked at her without moving his head, smirking. The ale was strong but he needed way more to get properly drunk.

"Too slow," he mocked the blonde one.

"I can be faster in many different activities," she came closer, seducing Ivar with her long lashes.

"How cheap," Ivar thought immediately.

"Ale!" He raised his voice.

The girl who took his cup was in a second by his side. Without saying a word she stepped away, back to the corner, waiting for another command.

Ivar took a big sip, half of the content of his cup disappearing inside his mouth.

"Where were we?" the tone of his voice went up.

He raised his hand, pointing with his index finger to let Oili know to come closer.

She was now standing few inches from Ivar.

Ivar tilted his head to the side. He tapped with his hand on his leg.

"Sit," he commanded.

Oili smiled, sitting on his lap.

"Kiss me, Ili."

"It's Oili," she pointed out.

"I don't care," he raised his eyebrow.

Oili then pressed her lips on Ivar's, going slow at first.

The kiss got heated with their tempo getting faster. Ivar was engaging but his mind was somewhere else.

Eira. He couldn't stop thinking about her. But the more he did, the more he got jealous because he'd remember what he saw earlier this morning.

Oh, Ivar wanted to forget her. He didn't like the way he felt about Eira. What was she doing in Bjorn's hut the whole night? That was the only thing that circled his mind.

While they were kissing, Oili managed to untie her dress. Her whole chest was now uncovered but Ivar didn't care at all.

The door opened a little, letting in a few sunbeams. A small petite hand opened them. Eira.

Ivar did notice with his one eye opened while kissing Oili. He didn't stop, he wanted to hurt Eira. So he did.

Her heart skipped a beat when her eyes landed on the couple kissing, realizing it wasn't just a couple. It was Ivar and some girl. Eira slowly let out a breath, turning around on her heel, leaving them to whatever they were doing. 

Her head was spinning and the hot sun shining down on her wasn't helping. She started running towards the lake. Again. The wind was brushing her hair effortlessly, making her feel lighter. The lake wasn't far enough and with her speed, she was there in a minute. 

Eira's eyes landed on a pier on the right. She ran towards it. When her feet got to the pier, she took off her shoes, leaving them behind. Her bare feet now were leading her towards the very end of the pier. The toes were little over the edge. She was looking down on the now lighter surface of the water. A reflection of someone she didn't recognize anymore was starring back at her. 

"Should I took off my shoes too?" Eira jumped a little bit, not expecting someone else. She looked over her shoulder. A familiar face of Bjorn Ironside was looking back at her. 

"Why would you do that?" she turned back. 

"In case if I had to save you again. I don't like my shoes wet, you know," he was trying to joke but there was some kind of vigilance in his voice. 

"Not this time, Bjorn," Eira answered him, a single tear running down her cheek, dripping down to the water. 

She made a step back, sitting down. Her legs hanging over the edge, toes lightly touching the surface. 

"Can I join you?" Bjorn asked first bud didn't wait for an answer, already sitting down next to her. 

Eira turned her head, the corner of her mouth going up a little bit attempting a smile. 

"What's going on?" 

"You know the feeling when you think you have something good in your life?" her sad dark eyes looked at Bjorn. He nodded. 

"I had that feeling after a long time but it was just in here," she pointed her index finger to her head. 

"It wasn't real, Bjorn. I don't know what is real anymore and it makes me breakable and weak. And I don't ever want to be that," Eira's voice went down to almost a whisper. 

Bjorn's ocean eyes looked at her. "You're not. It just makes you a human." 

Eira closed her eyes, her eyebrows creating a wrinkle on her forehead. She leaned her head upon Bjorn's shoulder, both watching the steady surface of the water. 

"This is indeed a beautiful place," Eira said. "It will be hard to leave it behind," she thought. 

_"How cheap,"_ Ivar thought immediately.

"Ale!" He raised his voice.

The girl who took his cup was in a second by his side. Without saying a word she stepped away, back to the corner, waiting for another command.

Ivar took a big sip, half of the content of his cup disappearing inside his mouth.

"Where were we?" the tone of his voice went up.

He raised his hand, pointing with his index finger to let Oili know to come closer.

She was now standing few inches from Ivar.

Ivar tilted his head to the side. He tapped with his hand on his leg.

"Sit," he commanded.

Oili smiled, sitting on his lap.

"Kiss me, Ili."

"It's Oili," she pointed out.

"I don't care," he raised his eyebrow.

Oili then pressed her lips on Ivar's, going slow at first.

The kiss got heated with their tempo getting faster. Ivar was engaging but his mind was somewhere else.

Eira. He couldn't stop thinking about her. But the more he did, the more he got jealous because he'd remember what he saw earlier this morning.

Oh, Ivar wanted to forget her. He didn't like the way he felt about Eira. What was she doing in Bjorn's hut the whole night? That was the only thing that circled his mind.

While they were kissing, Oili managed to untie her dress. Her whole chest was now uncovered but Ivar didn't care at all.

The door opened a little, letting in a few sunbeams. A small petite hand opened them. Eira.

Ivar did notice with his one eye opened while kissing Oili. He didn't stop, he wanted to hurt Eira. So he did.

Her heart skipped a beat when her eyes landed on the couple kissing, realizing it wasn't just a couple. It was Ivar and some girl. Eira slowly let out a breath, turning around on her heel, leaving them to whatever they were doing. 

Her head was spinning and the hot sun shining down on her wasn't helping. She started running towards the lake. Again. The wind was brushing her hair effortlessly, making her feel lighter. The lake wasn't far enough and with her speed, she was there in a minute. 

Eira's eyes landed on a pier on the right. She ran towards it. When her feet got to the pier, she took off her shoes, leaving them behind. Her bare feet now were leading her towards the very end of the pier. The toes were little over the edge. She was looking down on the now lighter surface of the water. A reflection of someone she didn't recognize anymore was starring back at her. 

"Should I took off my shoes too?" Eira jumped a little bit, not expecting someone else. She looked over her shoulder. A familiar face of Bjorn Ironside was looking back at her. 

"Why would you do that?" she turned back. 

"In case if I had to save you again. I don't like my shoes wet, you know," he was trying to joke but there was some kind of vigilance in his voice. 

"Not this time, Bjorn," Eira answered him, a single tear running down her cheek, dripping down to the water. 

She made a step back, sitting down. Her legs hanging over the edge, toes lightly touching the surface. 

"Can I join you?" Bjorn asked first bud didn't wait for an answer, already sitting down next to her. 

Eira turned her head, the corner of her mouth going up a little bit attempting a smile. 

"What's going on?" 

"You know the feeling when you think you have something good in your life?" her sad dark eyes looked at Bjorn. He nodded. 

"I had that feeling after a long time but it was just in here," she pointed her index finger to her head. 

"It wasn't real, Bjorn. I don't know what is real anymore and it makes me breakable and weak. And I don't ever want to be that," Eira's voice went down to almost a whisper. 

Bjorn's ocean eyes looked at her. "You're not. It just makes you a human." 

Eira closed her eyes, her eyebrows creating a wrinkle on her forehead. She leaned her head upon Bjorn's shoulder, both watching the steady surface of the water. 

"This is indeed a beautiful place," Eira said. _"It will be hard to leave it behind,"_ she thought.


	27. I love you

It was a strange day.

Right after Eira left, Ivar broke the kissing session.

"What's wrong?"

"Get out," Ivar said before drinking the whole cup.

"What?" she didn't understand.

"Out! Now!" he yelled.

Oili didn't even fix her dress when she ran out. Everyone was kind of afraid of Ivar so when he was serious and mad everyone would get out of his way.

"Another!" he commanded to the girl standing behind him.

She filled his cup again and as fast as she could she brought it back to Ivar, trying to not give him any reason for punishment.

Without a thought, Ivar drank it all at once and then he threw the cup away.

The world around him started spinning. He closed his eyes, inhaled an air through his nose and exhaled. He felt the anger coming through and he didn't want to let it out otherwise, it would end badly for someone.

"Why would you do that?!" Ivar screamed.

"Sir?" the girl was confused.

"Not you, her!" Ivar pointed out at an empty space.

The ale was much stronger than he expected. It started to mess with his head. 

"Why would you do that, Eira?" there was nobody in the room, yet Ivar saw her perfectly clear. 

In his mind, Eira was standing there, right in front of him looking as perfect as she always does. The dark raven hair covering her shoulders, those piercing dark eyes that could see right through him. That cute pointy nose with a few freckles here and there making her look humanly even though she might as well be one of the gods. 

Ivar got off the chair and crawled to the table with ale. He then drank few more cups filled with that bitter liquid.

"It hurts," he murmured. 

When he had enough of ale he passed out drunk on the floor.

##### Meanwhile:

"Bjorn, where is the Berserker?" Eira totally forgot about him. It's been too much for her these past days.

Bjorn looked over, his face was neutral. Not a single inch of his face moved when suddenly his eyebrows went up. "No one told you?!"

Eira was confused.

"What? Did he ran away?"

"No. Ivar killed him..," Bjorn told her honestly waiting for a reaction. Eira just kept staring back at him unable to form any words. Until she did. 

"He did what?!" 

"The night he found you bleeding out, he killed him," Bjorn told her. 

"Why would he do that? It wasn't his place to do it," Eira looked down. 

"I understand why he did it. If someone I love would have gone through all those terrible things I would want to kill everyone who was responsible for it too." 

Eira was still looking down when suddenly the words coming out of Bjorn's mouth hit her. 

"What are you talking about? Ivar doesn't love anyone, certainly not me. He can't," Bjorn didn't let her finish. 

"Oh, he does have feelings for you. He is good at hiding them. He pretends like he doesn't have any but I've seen him grow up and I know him well." 

Eira was still processing. 

"Ubbe told me about the day you went training with them. You left a good impression I must say. If anyone else would dare to throw a knife at him, they would be dead in a heartbeat. Ivar wouldn't let them live for another minute. Yet, you're here alive despite everything." 

Eira finally looked up. "No, you are blind. Ivar doesn't care about me, he only feels sorry for me." 

Bjorn let out a little laugh. "What?" 

"I am not the blind one here." 

"I needed the Berserker. How could he kill him? It was supposed to be me," Eira totally ignored what Bjorn was talking about. A wave of anger filled her whole body. She stood up and began to walk away. 

"Where are you going?" Bjorn yelled behind her. Eira ignored him again, heading towards the big hall where Ivar was supposed to be. 

"How dare he?" she was having a little monologue while going as fast as she could, even though her body still hurt as if something was missing. In a way, something indeed was. 

The door was closed. Eira put her palm on it to push it open but she stopped. What if she opened them and saw something she wouldn't be able to forget, ever. She imagined Ivar being there with that blonde girl, naked. 

_Should I?_

Eira bit her lip, closed her eyes, took a deep breath in and pushed the door open. She slowly opened her eyes, afraid of what might she be looking at. The room was empty and she could finally let out a breath. But where was Ivar? 

"Ugh," someone sighed. Eira immediately grabbed her knife. Without saying a word, she quietly walked around the room, her eyes scanning the space. Someone was lying behind the big chair. 

Eira vigilantly sneaked closer to see who it was. 

"Ivar?" 

"Uhum," he was responsive but too drunk to know what was going out. 

Eira kneeled down next to him. She felt how slowly the anger was coming through. Her eyes spotted a long blonde hair on his shoulder. Eira was still holding her knife. 

"How could you do that?!" she was so mad she couldn't control herself. Without thinking her hand quickly put the knife under Ivar's chin. 

Eira also had a darkness she barely could control. It was hard for her to manage it sometimes so she mostly let it out. But she couldn't this time. 

The blade of the knife was almost buried in his skin. Her hand was trembling because of how much she was battling inside. 

"Eira," her name slipped out of his drunk lips. 

She looked at his face, still holding the knife to his neck. The darkness in her wanted to see him bleed for what he has done. The girl, the berserker. 

"I love you," were the only three words that he said out of sleeping. 

Those three words pushed her darkness away. She pulled her hand back, putting the knife down. Were those words meant to her? Eira didn't know but she smiled at him.

"I love you," she whispered knowing he couldn't perceive those words or any other words because he was drunk and sleeping. 

Eira tilted over, kissing his cheek. 

"Goodbye," she whispered yet again and walked away. This time she wasn't planning on coming back.


	28. the L word

Ivar was dreaming when suddenly a bucket full of cold water was spilt on his head. He was wide awake, sitting in shock, soaking wet. He blinked a few times to see who had the nerve to wake him up like that.

Above him was standing a huge Bjorn's frame with one raised eyebrow. Empty bucket in his hand. "You better hurry up," he said.

"Why should I? And where to?!"

"Was Eira here?" Ivar looked at him with a deadly look in his eyes.

"You're the one who should know that," Ivar spat out.

Bjorn didn't clearly understand the confused expression on his face. He put the bucket upside down on the ground so he could use it as a chair and sit on it. Now when they were at the same height it was more comfortable to have a proper conversation.

"What is wrong with you?" Bjorn asked clearly not understanding the situation.

"What is wrong with me? What is wrong with you?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about.."

"Of course not. You just have to take everything you want, right? Because you were the firstborn son you think you have the privilege to have everything. You're wrong there, brother. You didn't have the right to take her," Ivar's eyes were crazy mad but also sad and slightly watering.

"Are you talking about Eira?"

"Who else would I be talking about? Don't play stupid I know what you did," Ivar's jaw was clenched, steam could be blowing out his ears from his anger.

"I don't know what you think you know but Eira is hurting, she told me."

"Since when you two talk? Since you sleep together?" Ivar spat out, his stomach turning upside down by that thought.

"What? Is that what you think?" Bjorn started laughing sarcastically. Which made Ivar even angrier and without thinking he punched Bjorn in the face.

Bjorn sat still, turning his head to the side spitting the blood.

"Look, Ivar,-" Ivar didn't let him finish.

"No, I don't want to hear anything!"

Bjorn grabbed Ivar by his neck so he couldn't turn around.

"I don't care. Now you're going to listen to what I have to say."

Ivar had still a little bit of alcohol left in his system otherwise he wouldn't let his brother even lay a hand on him. He growled, rolled his eyes but listened.

"I assume you saw us talking. And that was it. We just talked. She was at the bad place and I was listening," Bjorn didn't want to tell Ivar about the night at the lake because he promised her he wouldn't.

"You done?" It was rhetorical and quite sarcastic question Ivar didn't expect the answer to. "Why was she at your hut then? I saw you two together. She was in her nightgown!"

By now Bjorn wasn't holding Ivar anymore, letting him talk. He bit his lip thinking through if he should break his promise to Eira.

"I can't tell you."

"Yes, it is better that way. I don't need to hear what you two were doing," Ivar turned around and spat on the floor.

Bjorn rolled his eyes, thinking quickly if he should tell him the truth. Ivar needed to know.

"She wanted to die!" Bjorn couldn't bear it anymore.

"What?" Ivar turned his head in a split of a second.

"That night she was drowning in the lake. I saw her and tried to save her. On our way back she fell down and hurt herself so I took her to my hut where I cleaned her wounds and we spent the whole night talking. In the morning she left and I'm guessing that's what you saw..," Bjorn looked at his brother who was unable to speak. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Where is she now?"

"She went to see you. Oh, she was mad at you. I haven't seen her since."

Ivar didn't bother talking more, he started to furiously crawl away. He headed to Eira's hut. When he pushed the door open, the hut was empty. Ivar's heart skipped a beat from panic.

He turned around to see Bjorn behind him. "Where could she go?"

"Let's look around, she can't be far."

The brothers split. Bjorn went towards the woods on the opposite side of Kattegat while Ivar crawled towards the lake and that area of Kattegat. Ivar crawled as fast as possible thinking of Eira.

From behind a hut, he saw her. She was standing on the pier, waiting for a boat to get her away. "Eira!" He couldn't help but yell. He began to move towards her.

Eira didn't hear him, her eyes watching the boat moving towards her. Ivar was almost there and so was the boat. "Wait!" He screamed at the moment she gave her things to the man who was supposed to transport her. Eira turned around, her eyes landing on a young man in front of her.

Eira crossed her hands on her chest. "There's nothing left to say," she wanted to turn around.

"There is!"

Eira raised her eyebrow waiting for Ivar to say what he wanted.

"I, I,-" he didn't know how to continue.

Eira shook her head and turned around ready to step on the boat.

"You can't leave me! I, I love you!"


	29. honest

"I love you!" Those three words were echoing in the air. Those three words were the hardest thing Ivar ever had to say. Not because they weren't real but because he was being vulnerable which was something he would never let himself be. Never let his guard down, never let his feelings come out. Those rules he made he broke that day.

Few people were around and all of their heads turned when they heard Ivar. Some mouths opened wide, the ordinary people of Kattegat couldn't believe their ears. Old ladies who were washing their clothes exchanged confused looks at first but the wrinkles around their eyes deepened with a genuine smile after. 

"You don't mean it," Eira whispered, even though her heart stopped when she heard those words. She thought she wasn't worthy of love so she made a choice she thought was right. Her figure swiftly moved onto the little boat. 

Ivar didn't understand. He watched her slowly moving away. He was convinced she would stay if he said what he felt. No, he can't let her go. Not like this. Ivar began to crawl as fast as he could, throwing himself over the edge of the pier right into the water. The weight of his legs was pulling him down but he wasn't ready to give up. Survival instinct kicked in and he began furiously moving his hands, trying to get to the boat. It didn't quite work. He began to sink down. 

Out of nowhere, a hand appeared above the surface. Ivar grabbed it tightly, the water went up to his nose. Another hand grabbed him and pulled him up. He gasped for air to fill his lungs. He looked up to see the beautiful face of Eira. Even though she had an angry face, he was smiling at her. Next to her was an older man who helped her pull Ivar up, he was also smiling at the crazy things love can make a young man do. 

"What did you think? You could die!" she screamed at him, the vein on her neck popping out. Ivar was, in fact, willing to die to get to her and tell her what he feels. She opened her mouth again, wanting to say something else but Ivar's hands stopped her by cupping her face. He just needed to look in her eyes. 

"I've never felt anything so strongly like this for someone. I may not show my feelings but that doesn't mean I don't have any and I am certain I have them for you, Eira. I thought it's impossible for me but I do,-" he stopped, taking a deep breath in. "I need you. You bring out the light in me and if you leave I am afraid I won't be ever able to come back from the darkness. Don't leave me, Eira," a pause before he said: "Please." 

The whole time Eira's eyes were jumping between Ivar's ocean blue eyes and his perfectly shaped lips. She almost wasn't breathing. Ivar's hands were cupping her cheeks, his rough hands against her baby pink coloured soft face. "How can I know you won't change your mind once you will get bored? I am not like that blonde girl. I am damaged goods..," 

"That won't happen, ever. I am damaged too so maybe this is meant to be. Maybe we can get better together," he licked his bottom lip. 

Eira's heart was pounding and she did what her heart desired the most. She broke the little distance between them by brushing her lips against Ivar's. He was holding his breath, surprised. He kissed her back gently, not rushing anything as he did before. 

"Does this mean?" Eira nodded with her eyes still closed, a slight smile on her lips. Suddenly a sound of applause surrounded them. It broke the beautiful moment when they looked around to see people around clapping. Even the elderly man on the boat was smiling like a sun, adding to the applause. Eira's cheeks were turning into a tomato colour. 

"Bring us back," Ivar commended to the old man. He nodded, still smiling. 

Once they were on the ground, they both headed towards Eira's hut to put back her things. It wasn't much but it was what she owned. 

Inside she put her bag on the bed, sitting next to it. "Ivar, there is still something I have to do." 

"What are you talking about?" Ivar was confused, sitting on the floor, his back against the closed door. "I have to kill the jarl. With or without you," she said, her face stone cold. 

An evil smile appeared on Ivar's face. His tongue brushed his front teeth before saying: "You can count with me, love."


	30. battle plans

A young boy around ten years old burst in the door of the main hall where everyone was getting ready for a fight. The air was filled with the smell of metal shaping over the fire and laughter of the men who were telling each other stories from the battles they were fighting ages ago.

The shieldmaidens were painting their faces with colours and preparing their shields. Some men had their faces already painted with bright white and red shades, thirsty for a bloodshed.

No matter what the people were doing, everyone went quiet when the little boy burst in, catching his breath and yelling at the same time.

"Calm down, boy. Here," Ubbe gave him a cup of water which the kid drank with one big sip. He managed to relax a little, his breathing became regular. His eyes found Ubbe's face. 

"What did you want to say?"

"With friends, we were playing at the edge of the forest. They said I couldn't,-"

"To the point, kid," Ubbe stopped him.

"I climbed a tree and I saw a camp of men behind the big field! They had war flags and shields," he exhaled in relief he spat it out. 

Ubbe turned around to look at his brothers, including Eira. They all exchanged looks.

"Did you notice what was on their shields or their flag? Any symbol of some kind?" Eira asked him, conflicted because one part of her wanted it to be the sign of Jarl Bjarke and the other one was against it.

"I think it was some kind of a bird.." the boy tried to remember. 

"A raven?" At that moment Eira felt like she was out of her body, watching her mouth saying it, unable to stop herself. 

"Yes, that one!" the kid's voice went up an octave, nodding. 

All the eyes of Ragnar's sons and others in the room fell on Eira. She swallowed before spilling the truth. "Raven is a symbol of Jarl Bjarke."

Ivar clenched his jaw, trying to stay as calm as possible. Not just yet, he knew his time is about to come and he can let the anger take over, on the battlefield, not here. A very gentle squeeze on his hand. His eyes looked down and a little smile appeared on his face. It was Eira's hand holding his, reassuring him and giving him the support he needed without knowing it.

"Do you think he knows we planned to attack him?" Hvitserk asked, watching his brothers carefully.

"Even if he did, why would he bother to come here?" Bjorn added another question.

"An element of surprise," Ivar answered. "He might not be stupid but no one outsmarts me. We will use it to our advantage," Ivar smiled and squeezed Eira's hand back. 

"How many were there?" Ubbe turned to the little boy. He shrugged his shoulders. "I can only count to ten and there were many tens when I counted," his cheeks were red.

Eira smiled at the kid, her hand touched her belly. For a second she thought about her miscarriage. What if she had a kid like that? Such a sweet innocent boy. Then she realized what are they preparing for and it threw her back to reality. 

"What is wrong?" Ivar asked her with a concern, noticing her distant expression. 

"Nothing really, we need to make a plan, Ivar." Eira moved her head towards the big round table in the middle.

"Ivar is good with strategy. He thinks like no other," Sigurd interrupted them, putting his hand on his shoulder.

"Stop kissing my ass, Sigurd," Ivar smirked at his brother, looking up because he was sitting on the chair.

"That's what he is good at," Ubbe laughed together with Hvitserk, who was already acting out the kissing part.

All brothers except Sigurd laughed.

"Now we need to come with a plan," Eira said loud enough for everyone to hear, losing the grip on Ivar's hand and getting up.

She was standing by the big table, putting objects on it.

"This is them," she moved a pile of little rocks on one side. "We need to surprise them, any ideas?" She turned around, facing Ragnar's sons.

Ivar smiled and with the contraption attached to his legs he stood up and walked towards Eira. She carefully watched his every move ready to help him out if needed.

"What are you waiting for, brothers?" He moved his hand to give them a signal to come closer. And so they did.

"One small group will stay in the woods covered, waiting for my orders. Another small group of archers will go right now and without them noticing will make it behind them and hide. When the sun goes up, we will come right in front of them. Once the battle starts, archers will shoot as many Bjarke's people as possible which they won't expect nor notice in the battle. We will push them to the edge of woods so they would split. Our men in the forest will deal with the group that runs into there. Understood?" Everyone nodded. "Tell it others, make groups and send them on their way," Ivar told Ubbe.

"What about me, Ivar?" A familiar voice echoed from the back of the room. Ivar's eyed searched for the man who said it. A tall skinny man with crazy eyes smiled at him. 

"Floki, you will stay in Kattegat in case they would get here. Someone needs to protect women and children if anything happens."

Floki nodded with a smile, disappearing into the crowd. 

"Wait!" Eira raised her voice before everyone got back to doing what Ivar said.

"Jarl Bjarke is my kill!" Ivar was proudly smiling on Eira who caught everyone's attention. She was standing in the middle with a dangerous expression on her face, sending a warning to everyone who would try to kill the jarl.

"You heard her! Now get to work!" Ivar said, touching Eira's back. She jumped, not expecting it.

"Don't do that, I hate being touched without my knowledge or permission," she said quietly, coming closer to him. If it was someone else, it would end up badly for the person. But because it was Ivar, Eira couldn't be mad at him because she knew he couldn't truly understand how it makes her feel or what memories it brings.   
She was so close, their foreheads were against each other, their breaths intertwined.

"Do I have your permission to kiss you?" the corners of Eira's mouth went slightly up, creating a smile. Her eyes scanned the room which was by now empty, few last men were closing the door behind them. 

"You do," she bit her lip, waiting for Ivar to kiss her. 

***

Thanks for reading! Few more chapters till the end. x


	31. giggles

After all the pain there comes a moment of pure happiness. A single sunbeam in the sky full of dark clouds.

That's how both, Eira and Ivar, felt when they lips brushed. A sparkle to a fire. After a while full of sweet little kisses, Ivar's hand travelled from Eira's hand to her cheek. His rough fingertips felt different when touching her soft skin.

Ivar's reputation of a cruel Viking was gone the moment he was alone with Eira. With her, he became a gentle, caring young man full of happiness even though he never believed in such a thing.

Eira lifted her hands, one went behind Ivar's neck to bring him even closer if that was possible and the other hand rested on his chest. She could feel his raising heartbeat.

The kiss got heated and both of them at the same time pulled away in need of air. Their breathing was fast and in sync. They were staring into each other's eyes. Only then Ivar noticed Eira's eyes were no longer that dark as they used to be. She had hazel brown eyes with a hint of green in the middle.

"Wow," he whispered.

Eira was confused. "What?"

"I've never noticed how beautiful your eyes are." A small smile appeared on her lips. "Well, your eyes were the first thing I noticed about you, Ivar. That's how I knew you were a good person."

"But I'm not,-"

"Yes, you are. No one can have such gentle and honest eyes and be a bad human being."

Ivar wrapped his arms around Eira's waist. For a quick second she froze because of the touch but as quickly as she did, she relaxed again.

Ivar genuinely smiled at her, his eyes were almost sparkling. "That's something unusual," Eira observed him.

"What?" He couldn't get the smile off of his face.

"He can smile," she said mockingly and placed her hand on his cheek, her thumb touching his bottom lip.

"Everyone can smile, Eira. I just don't have the reason to do so, till now."

Eira smiled at him back, pulling him closer. She kissed Ivar in the corner of his mouth.

"I should go to sleep and so should you. We need to rest before tomorrow."

"I agree," Ivar told her.

Eira turned around ready to leave but Ivar pulled her back. "Where are you going?" He asked.

"To my hut?"

"No, that's not a place where you'll be sleeping tonight." Eira was confused.

Ivar intertwined his fingers with hers. "You will be sleeping at my hut. I want you close to me," with that he nervously swallowed an additional saliva in his mouth. Eira looked scared and Ivar's heart broke a little.  
"Not in that way! You are safe with me, I promise."

Eira's face softened a little and she nodded. "I trust you, Ivar." And she meant it. It's been a long time since she trusted anybody and she was glad it was Ivar. 

Ivar slowly walked towards his hut, holding Eira's hand. The whole time he was slightly smiling, strange feeling in his stomach. Eira looked at him and at that moment Ivar tripped and fell to the ground, taking Eira with him. She landed on top of him, her eyes searching for Ivar's face. 

Her heart was aching from the look on his face. He was angry at himself and disappointed by the lack of ability to walk.

"Hey," she tried to make him look at her. His head turned away, trying to avoid Eira's eyes. She sighed, her hand reaching and grabbing Ivar's chin to make him turn his head towards her. He had no choice but to do so.

"It's okay, Ivar. Everyone trips once in a while. I mean, look at me. I'm a walking catastrophe," she tried to joke to make him laugh. He didn't but his face softened and that was a good sign.

Eira got up, with a smile looking back at Ivar. She reached out, waiting for Ivar to grab her hand. He did and with all the strength she had she pulled him up. They looked at each other. Ivar touched Eira's nose, leaving a muddy mark on it.

"How dare you!" She laughed. Then she bent over to grab a hand full of mud, throwing it at Ivar.

He put his hands in the air. "Okay, I surrender, I surrender!" He was laughing too.

Eira grabbed Ivar's hand. "We need to clean ourselves. We're a mess. Come on," she ordered and Ivar slowly walked with her. 

Once they reached his hut, Eira prepared the bath by going for a water outside and warming it by the fireplace. It took some time but she didn't mind. She wanted to enjoy every single minute of the time she had with Ivar because she was a realist and she was prepared for everything that might happen the day after. 

She poured the last bucket of water in. When she turned around, Ivar was only in his pants, exposing his muscles. Eira was just standing there, empty bucket in her hands, admiring the man sitting in front of her. 

Ivar noticed and immediately placed his hands in front of his chest. Eira burst into a laughter which made Ivar confused but he started to laugh too. Soon the whole room was filled with genuine laughter. It was so liberating, pulling them out of the reality. 

After few minutes, Eira couldn't laugh anymore. Her stomach hurt from it, the pain hitting her back. She had to swipe those happy tears from her face. "What are you doing?" she finally asked once she knew another wave of laughter won't be coming. 

"I didn't want to make you uncomfortable," he looked down shyly, his hands still covering his torso. Eira bit her lip. "Alright then. You can put your hands down I'm comfortable with that," a little giggle left her mouth. 

"I will now turn around," and so she did, "and you can fully undress and get in the water." Eira's heart was beating hard she thought her heart would jump out of her chest just by thinking about Ivar being naked in the same room as her. Unknowingly she was holding a breath. 

"I'm in," he said and when Eira turned back, Ivar had this playful expression on his face with a hint of red colour in his cheeks. Eira tried to look just on Ivar's face, maybe making it too obvious because her eyes began to water from the lack of blinking. "Are you really that hard focusing on my face?" Ivar bit his lip, smiling. Eira finally blinked. "What? Nooo," she didn't sound too convincing because her voice went an octave up. 

"I'll be right back! I'm going for a cloth and soap," she murmured. Instead of going to the other side of the room, she panicked and ran out of the door. She leaned against the wall of the hut. Her breathing was fast as if she ran few miles without stopping. Then she pressed her right hand against her raising heartbeat. _What am I doing?_ she thought.


	32. i'm ready

"Where did you go?"

"For the cloth and soap." Ivar didn't say anything even though he knew she went out.

Eira slowly walked to him, holding those items in her hands. Ivar was sitting in a way that his back was facing her. She knelt down, taking the cloth and getting it wet. Then she used a little bit of soap and slowly began to rub his shoulders; gently and slowly. Ivar let out a moan when her hand grabbed his shoulder to get a better access, causing Eira to smile.

"You should join me," Ivar said in a sensual voice. Eira thought about it but she wasn't sure. She didn't know how it will make her feel.

Ivar turned around, realizing what he has asked for. "If you don't want to, that's fine with me. Whatever you wish," he said, giving her a little understanding smile. Eira bit her lip, hesitating.

"Turn around," she said. Slowly she grabbed the hem of her dress, pulling it over her head. The contact of chilly air with her skin caused her to shiver.

While undressing, Ivar moved a little to make enough space for Eira. The whole time he didn't turn around, completely respecting her privacy. Eira slowly dived in one leg, the other following, her hands covering her chest even though Ivar was turned around, she felt the need to do it.

Once her whole body was under the water, Ivar spoke up: "Can I turn around now?" He wanted to be as careful with her as he could be.

"Yes," she said, her hands still hiding her chest. Her heart was beating fast, her arms even though the water was more than warm, were covered by goosebumps.

Ivar slowly turned around, his cheeks were in a shade of red. Eira was sitting in front of him, her knees bent so nothing could be seen.

For a while they were just staring into each other's eyes; almost like an ice and fire. Ivar bit his lip, not moving an inch because he was too careful to not scare her or make her uncomfortable.

"You know you can breathe, right?" Ivar blinked, not realizing he was holding his breath. He exhaled, slightly smiling.

"Can I move a little closer to you? I want to wash your back," his cheeks had a pinkish tone. He was so different, almost innocent.

Eira looked down, unsure. She then took a deep breath in and nodded. Her one hand grabbed the edge of the tub, to help her spin around, while the other was still managing to cover her chest.

Ivar slowly moved closer, dragging his legs underwater was easier. He reached out for the soap and cloth, carefully soaking it and as gently as possible he pressed it against Eira's shoulder. She stiffed a little but relaxed after a few soft moves.

Ivar's breath was sending chills down her spine, causing her to shiver. "You don't have to cover yourself in front of me," he said, his breath on her ear.

Eira slowly let her arms go away from her chest, grabbing the tub. Her nipples were just below the surface, hard from the excitement she didn't know she could ever have. Her heart was beating like crazy when Ivar's other hand slid down her back, slowly brushing her every scar and ending up resting on her hip. Eira gasped for an air, causing Ivar to smile. He kissed her on her neck swiftly.

"You can turn around now," he said as he threw aside the cloth and soap. Eira froze. Even though she wanted, her body wasn't listening. She swallowed loudly, her throat was that dry.

"Can you help me with that?" Ivar didn't understand at first but he gently touched her arm, slowly turning her around.

Her eyes immediately locked with his, finding the comfort she needed. Even though Ivar was curious and wanted to see her whole body in its beauty, he didn't leave her eyes. Not for a second.

"Come here," he whispers, giving her his warmest smile. Eira tried to breathe properly, her hand grabbing Ivar's. There was still a little space between them. Their fingers intertwined. Ivar carefully touched Eira's chin, bringing her closer. His eyes couldn't get enough of her. "I,-" Eira shushed him. "Don't speak, just kiss me."

Ivar did as she said which was very unusual because Ivar doesn't do what anyone tells him. He's stubborn but that doesn't apply at Eira's presence. He's a new man with her and even though he doesn't want to admit it, he likes it. 

After a while of tender kisses, Ivar's tongue asked for permission to enter which Eira gave him by opening her mouth. Their tongues intertwined, tasting each other. Of course, Ivar wanted more, but he didn't want to push Eira, completely understanding her feelings. His hand slid down from her face to her arm, grabbing it awkwardly because he didn't know where else it would be okay to touch Eira. 

Eira opened her eyes and looked down at his hand. She smiled while kissing him. Then she took his hand in hers, sliding it down, over her breast, brushing her nipple which made her shiver and resting it on her hip. Ivar gasped for air, not expecting Eira's action. She had a slight smile on her face. Her hands grabbed his shoulders, bringing him closer. She whispered to his ear: "I'm ready, Ivar." 

Ivar again gasped for air. "Are you certain?" She nodded, placing her legs by Ivar's sides. Not once she looked away from his eyes. She bit her lip, causing Ivar to hungrily kiss her. "Wait," he broke it. "Is it okay for me to touch you?" he needed to hear it first. 

"Anywhere you want," her lips immediately kissing him. Ivar's hand travelled down to his crotch, realizing something he thought was impossible. He was hard which he thought could never happen. Maybe it wasn't his fault back with Margrethe, maybe it was the fact he wasn't really attracted to her. She didn't make him feel like this. "What's wrong?" Eira asked him. 

"Nothing, there's nothing wrong with me!" he yelled full of happiness. Eira didn't understand but it didn't matter because Ivar felt complete and he wanted it as much as Eira. He grabbed her chin, lifting it up, his lips connecting with a skin on her neck. Eira let out a moan, her arms resting on his shoulders. 

Ivar's hand slid from her chin to her right breast, gently squeezing it. His lips still sucking on her neck. His fingertips playing with her nipple, making her moan again. Eira's right hand disappeared in the water, grabbing his whole length in her palm. Ivar moaned against her skin as she moved her hand up. Eira shifted a little to get a better access. His hands moved too. One was resting on her hip, the other one was squeezing her buttcheek. Eira slowly sat on him, his tip entering her. They were both moaning into each other's mouth. 

"Eira," her name rolled out of his tongue, while she slowly began to move. Eira tilted her head, warmth filling her whole body. The tempo was getting faster. Ivar's hands were now both squeezing her bottom, supporting her in her movement. The faster it became, the more water spilt out on the floor. "Ivar," she moaned his name. 

"Eira," he couldn't help but say it passionately. She grabbed his face, kissing him. Both felt the climax coming, they looked at each other. Eira nodded and Ivar moaned as he came. The tempo started to slow down. "Oh, Ivar!" she screamed satisfied as she reached the climax. She stopped moving, still feeling the whole Ivar's length inside of her. Her forehead leaned against his, both breathing heavily. 

She kissed him one more time before standing up, getting from their bath full of sexual sparkles and fully naked, still wet laying down in his bed. Ivar was left there sitting, absorbing all the things that have happened a few seconds ago. His life didn't seem so miserable anymore. He licked his lips, watching her naked lying in his bed. His eyes then looked down in the water. 

"I'm a real man," he whispered, a smile creeping on his face.


	33. preparation

The cold was still creeping outside, adding to the darkness caused by the lack of sunshine. It was too early for the sun to wake up but it was the perfect time for Ivar and Eira to strike and surprise Jarl Bjarke and his men.

While everyone was asleep, Eira and Ivar woke up next to each other. Ivar was first, his eyes admiring the view in front of him. A little smile appeared on his face as he remembered all that art in England. Eira was possibly the most beautiful art he's ever seen and he couldn't get enough of her.

Eira slowly opened her eyes to find Ivar watching her. Her hand immediately slapped her face, covering it. "Don't look at me," she said.

"I'm not," he mocked her.

"Yes, you are."

"I couldn't help it," he admitted.

Eira slowly took her hand off her face, her eyes searching for his. She bit her lip when her eyes slipped down on his lips. Then she quickly gave him a peck and turned around. Her hands grabbed the hem of the blanket, pressing it against her chest. She got up, the cover hiding her whole body.

Ivar was still laying there, half naked. The other blanket was covering him from the waist down. He looked like a god, so beautiful yet so untouchable. Not for Eira, she could touch him as much as she wanted and just that thought made her shiver, her forehead slightly sweating.

She looked over. Ivar was still looking at her, his eyes intensively watching her every move. A small smile appeared on her face as she turned around, her back facing him. She dropped the blanket to the floor. Ivar gasped for air from the view in front of him. He immediately bit his lip to stop the sound coming from his mouth.

Eira looked over her shoulder. Their eyes met for a few seconds. Ivar raised his eyebrow. He tapped with his hand on the bed. For a second Eira hesitated.

"We need to get ready, remember?"

"We still have a time," Ivar totally ignored the fact that it maybe was an hour or so till the sun came up.

Eira swallowed. "We better hurry up, then." She licked her bottom lip. "Close your eyes."

"No," Ivar refused.

"Close them," Eira persisted.

"No. I want to see you," he said.

Eira rolled her eyes, bending over to grab the blanket from the floor. Ivar was gasping for air again, making Eira realize she shouldn't have bend over. Her cheeks were red as a tomato, she swiftly covered herself with the blanket.

When she turned around, Ivar's eyes were wide open and so was his mouth. He saw way more than Eira intended for him to see. Her eyes caught something else. Ivar obviously liked the view because his body reacted to it. His bulge was now almost twice the normal size, lifting up the blanket.

Eira bit the inside of her mouth. Her lips separated. Ivar noticed what she was looking at and he smiled, showing his teeth. "You coming?" He asked her, his eyebrow raised.

Eira snapped out of her glare. She nodded. She jumped on the bed, still holding the blanket. Then she slowly sat on Ivar. The only thing that was separating their skins from touching was the blanket between them.

Ivar slowly grabbed the hem of Eira's blanket. He pulled it down, revealing her bare chest. His right hand then grabbed her breast. "Come closer," he ordered.

His lips brushed her nipple, which made Eira moan. His hot tongue then licked it, following his lips sucking on her nipple while his other hand grabbed her by her ass. Eira tilted her head, breathing quickly.

Her whole blanket was now gone and with a little movement so was the blanket that covered Ivar's bottom part. She could now easily sit on his cock and ride it but she didn't. She wanted to tease him.

Eira started to rub herself against his length, causing Ivar to moan. "Eira," escaped his lips. She began to move quicker. "Say it again," she whispered into his ear, making him shiver.

"E, E, Eira!" He screamed. She stopped moving. Her hand grabbed his face, connecting their lips. Ivar lightly bit her bottom lip. "You think you have a power over me?" He whispered into her mouth.

His hand then quickly travelled down over her belly to her crotch. Eira gasped for air, as Ivar's finger rubbed against her clit. "Say my name," Ivar smiled.

"No," Eira refused, the air stuck in her lungs. Ivar started to move his finger in a circular motion. Eira's whole body was shaking. "Say. My. Name."

"Ivar!" She screamed as few drops of sweat ran down her back.

Ivar's hand then took his member, sliding up and down. Eira lifted up her whole body, her right leg moving slightly to the side, making a better access for Ivar. As much as he wanted to feel her already, he teased her one more time. He didn't enter her, he just slightly brushed over her labia, back and forth.

"Ivar!" She screamed again, not able to wait one more second.

Ivar smiled and his tip slowly entered her. Eira moaned, her back arching. Ivar's hands grabbed her by her ass, slowly letting her go down, his whole length disappearing inside of her.

With a faster speed, they both climaxed at the same time. Before Ivar pulled out, they kissed passionately as if that was the last step to the perfect intercourse.

Eira laid down next to him. Her chest moving up and down fastly. It felt as that was the something she needed to fill her with energy. She wasn't exhausted as one would expect but otherwise.

She sat up, her legs falling over the edge of Ivar's bed. "We really need to get ready now." Ivar didn't answer. He sat up too.

After half an hour they were ready, both dressed in a leather from head to toe. Eira fixed Ivar's braids before they left the hut.

It was right on time because their group of men with Bjorn was waiting by the forest. "Finally!" Bjorn said, a smile on his face.

Ivar crawled behind Eira. "What took you so long?" Bjorn asked.

Eira's cheeks turned slightly red. Ivar calmly answered. "Preparation."

"We all heard your preparation," Bjorn said out loud and all the men agreed, laughing.

Eira's cheeks were now burning from the inside. Her jawline was tensed, her eyes were looking down. It felt like she got caught doing something bad. Like when she was younger and her parents caught her stealing strawberries from the bowl they had prepared for gods. It felt the same but this time she wasn't doing anything wrong and her parents were dead. She looked up, her eyes full of hatred. Few men noticed and made a step back.

"Our men are in positions. We need to get to ours." Ivar ordered and everyone grabbed their swords, shields, axes and knives.

Eira was standing still, not a single inch of her body moved. Ivar looked up to see her face. This wasn't the woman he just spent the whole night with. This was the girl he met in the forest; wild, angry and thirsty for blood.

"Eira?"

Nothing.

"Eira?" He said again, this time his voice was stronger.

She snapped out of it. Her eyes slipped down to see Ivar. His icy blue eyes were looking for an answer.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I want to see him dead."

Ivar nodded in understatement. He then gave her his favourite blade. Eira took it, brushing his thumb and placing it behind her belt. She bent over, her eyes seemed softer. "I lov-," Ivar didn't let her finish the sentence.

"Don't say it like that."

"Like what?"

"Like a goodbye." Eira's eyes avoided Ivar's. She looked to the side. His hand grabbed her chin, turning her head to face him. "This isn't a goodbye." Ivar was nodding the whole time he was saying that sentence as if he was trying to convince her.

She smiled. "No, it isn't."


	34. i will kill you

The silence was almost unbearable as they were quietly sneaking through the forest. Here and there you could hear owls hoot or sticks break under their feet. With each step, they tried to be as quiet as possible and everytime someone would make a noise, everyone would almost stop breathing.

The whole time Eira was admiring the beauty of nature. The tall strong trees standing next to each other, shaking when the wind ran through their leaves. It wasn't as dark as it was when they were preparing. The sun was getting closer to showing up which meant they didn't have much time left. The plan was to strike before the sunrise. 

Without realizing it, she was playing with one of her small blades in her hand; flipping it between her fingers. Even though it was still kind of dark, Ivar noticed that and smiled. He was a few feet behind her, walking slowly with a crutch in his hand. How he wished he could just throw that ugly thing away and walk faster to keep up with her, to grab her by her hand and kiss her cheek. 

It was like Eira heard his thoughts and turn her head around to find Ivar watching her. She smiled at him lightly, slowing down so he could keep up with her and they could walk together. 

"Hello," she said as quiet as possible for him to hear. 

"Eira," he said in a different voice, almost a royal sound to it. 

"Keep that blade close to you," he advised her. Eira just nodded, holding the blade still in her hand, no more flipping. 

"We're almost there," she whispered, her eyes looking straight forward. Her jaw was tight, her whole posture changed. She was ready to fight and nobody could stop her.

The sky was lighter. The orange color was mixing the dark blue, making it look almost as if the sky was thirsty for blood too.

"Gods are with us," Ivar whispered as he looked up.

"Gods are with us," Eira repeated and smiled. It gave her the feeling of reassurance. There have been moments when she doubted herself and her intentions. After all, her name means merciful.

But it wasn't time to be merciful, it was time to be ruthless. 

Bjorn stopped walking, raising his hand to give others a sign. Everyone slowed down until they were all standing still except Eira and Ivar, who walked carefully straight forward towards Bjorn. All the people in their group kind of made a space for them, so they could walk just straight ahead. All those eyes were watching them but they didn't care. It was the opposite, they were walking with pride and confidence. 

"Look," Bjorn pointed out. 

There they were. Some of them were already up and outside, sitting by the places where they had bonfires, eating leftovers. The majority couldn't be seen because they were in their tents, probably preparing their tactics and strategies or sleeping. 

Eira's eyes were focused on something else. The big white raven on the biggest tent in the middle, probably the main area of their camp. It was just a simple symbol like that, that would make her blood boil. She didn't realize but she made a step forward, ready to go and cut out the symbol from the tent and then killing every single person located inside. Ivar's hand stopped her from that. It happened so quickly, she turned around and put her blade towards his neck. 

Ivar didn't move an inch, he knew how it feels like. To be so driven by something until it takes over. Eira blinked, realizing the situation. She immediately put her hand down. "Sorry," she whispered. Ivar nodded, turning around to look at his brother. 

"So it begins," he said. 

Bjorn waved with his hand to a man on his left. He was holding a horn, ready to use it. "Now," he told him. 

The silence was cut off with a strong sound of a horn, accompanied by screaming of the men and women ready to run out and fight. The whole picture was a perfect example of action and reaction. Jarl's people ran out of their tents, some of them weren't even in their armor. Pure panic could be seen on some faces. 

Eira raised her hand with the blade. "Fight!" she screamed right after she looked at Ivar, who had a smirk on his face. With that, she grabbed one shieldmaiden's shoulder and began to walk towards the main tent. Few arrows flew their way but the shieldmaiden covered Eira with her shield. 

First victims of the fight fell to the ground on both sides. Few moments after another loud sound of a horn filled the air. This time it was a sign for Ivar's second group of archers on the other side. Immediately a big cloud of arrows flew out of nowhere, landing between the tents. Some of them didn't hit anything but good amount hurt someone and even killed a few. 

Eira didn't kill anyone yet, she was surrounded by shieldmaidens who took care of it. She looked back on Ivar. He was now on the ground, his contraption put aside. Eira took a deep breath in and out. 

Few tents were torn down to the ground, making better overview and space to fight in. Then in the corner of her eye, Eira saw a little group of armed men with shields leaving the main tent. Her hand let go of the shieldmaiden's shoulder, taking out the blade Ivar gave her. 

"Show yourself," she whispered to herself, her voice sounded kind of different with an evil sound to it. 

Just as if he heard her, she spotted his face through a slot between two of his men's shoulders. He didn't see her because he was too focused on saving his own ass. Eira smiled, flipping the blade in her hand. "Jeg vil dræbe dig!" she screamed as loud as she could, causing Jarl Bjarke to see her. "Jeg vil dræbe dig," she said again, this time quietly only to the one man those words truly belonged to. 

**/jeg vil dræbe dig - I will kill you/**


	35. the battle

Jarl Bjorke was hiding behind his few men who were surrounding him, protecting him with their bodies.

Eira's eyes were set on him, and only him. She began to run towards the group of men surrounding Jarl, few arrows missed her. A screaming man from the right tried to stop her, swinging his sword, unsuccessfully. Eira fell down on her knees, sliding on the mud, avoiding his sword. 

She immediately turned around, still on the ground and with one swift move with Ivar's sharp blade hit his legs right in the knee height from behind which made him yell out of pain and afterward he fell down on his knees. Eira jumped up and finished him by grabbing his hair and slitting his throat. She took his sword to her other hand and with a deadly look in her eyes, she turned in the direction where the jarl was still hiding like a sheep afraid of the wolf. 

Eira was the wolf desiring for the sheep's blood and nothing could have stopped her. 

Then she pointed with the heavy sword in her hand on Jarl, who was with a fear watching her getting closer. She couldn't hear him but he said something to his men, which made them move slowly in unison further away from Eira. For a second she looked behind her to check on Ivar who was stabbing a man on the ground, his face covered in drops of blood. 

She started to move faster and when she was almost running, another man stepped in her way. This one was probably the same height as Eira and had two shorter swords in his hands. 

"Get out of my way!" she screamed at him. 

"Over my dead body," he screamed back. 

"As you wish," she said smiling. 

He swung with one of his swords in the height of Eira's neck. She made a step back, sword missing her throat few inches. Then she immediately blocked his sword with hers. His other hand tried to stab her which was unsuccessful. She swiftly cut his arm with Ivar's blade. He stepped back from her. 

Eira flipped her blade in her hand, throwing it right at him. He wasn't fast enough to avoid it so the blade ended up in his right shoulder, which caused him to drop the sword. Eira made a quick move towards him, swinging her sword which he managed to block. He was much stronger than she expected. With his another move he somehow successfully disarmed Eira from her sword, which fell a few feet from her. Right when she wanted to quickly move back, his sword cut through her clothes and slightly dived into her skin on her hip. 

She shivered but the amount of adrenaline that was running through her body enabled her to properly feel it. It didn't hurt as much as it would normally hurt. He laughed and grabbed her blade and pulled it out of his shoulder. Eira touched her hip, her fingers were slightly covered in blood. The cut wasn't so deep, she was okay. 

She looked up to see the blade that once was in his shoulder flying back at her. She couldn't crouch so the only thing possible at that moment was cover herself. Her hand immediately shoot up in front of her face. The blade pierced the palm throughout. The tip of the blade was two or three inches from her face. "Argh!" she yelled in pain. This time the amount of adrenaline couldn't stop the unbearable feeling. 

Her hand began to shake. She lowered that hand, blade still in it, to look at him. He wanted to grab the other sword but when he bent over, Eira's other hand grabbed the small blade she had behind her belt, jumped towards him and without a hesitation she stabbed him in the neck, right where his artery was. She pulled out her blade, the blood squirting out. He looked up, trying to hold his wound. His eyes full of shock as he glanced at Eira one last time before falling to the ground. 

Eira was catching her breath, her forehead full of sweat. She put her small blade back behind her belt. She raised her hand to look at her wound. She bit her lip as she pulled the blade out. It hurt like a bitch, she almost bit through her lip. Her hand was trembling. She ripped a piece of her shirt and quickly bandaged it. 


	36. the end

It would have been a beautiful morning. The sun was shining, few clouds here and there. Older women were at their homes with children in Kattegat. Some of them were praying to gods for a safe return of their husbands and sons. Children, on the other hand, didn't understand why they had to stay at home when the weather was so nice. They begged the women to let them go and play outside but that wasn't an option. 

Floki was watching over the people in Kattegat, his eyes constantly searching for an intruder. Two men showed up and he managed easily to kill them with his ax. He wasn't alone, few other men stayed behind to protect their loved ones. They weren't the youngest but they were for sure the most experienced. 

Ivar and his men didn't let anyone pass them. Those two who escaped were hiding the whole time and then they ran away like cowards. They probably didn't even know how to fight properly, they looked young and inexperienced but that doesn't matter in a battle. There is no such a thing as empathy in war or any battles. It's either kill or be killed. Ivar knew that and Eira knew that. 

While the crippled Viking was on the ground killing anyone that came closer, Eira hid behind one tent that was still standing. She was trying to catch a breath. Her heart was beating like crazy thanks to the adrenaline circulating through her system. Once she managed to calm down her breathing and set her mind straight, she looked around for a weapon that might come into use. All she had was a small blade and Ivar's blade which wasn't much. It would have been enough for a one on one fight or even to kill two men but she had to take down much more. 

Jarl was still hiding behind his men, backing away, trying to mingle out of this alive. There was no such an option for Eira. There was no way she would let him walk away. Her eyes spot an ax few feet from her, in a hand of a man lying on the ground in a pool of blood from his detached leg. He wasn't moving, probably dead. She crouched down and swiftly moved towards him. When she reached out for the ax, his hand moved up, towards her head but she was quick enough to step on his arm as hard as she could, the action accompanied by the sound of his bone breaking. He yelled in pain, letting go of the ax. 

Eira grabbed her blade and quickly stabbed him in the heart to end his misery. After all, her name means Merciful. 

With an ax in one hand, she looked further. There was an okay looking shield on the ground. She quickly jumped towards it, her eyes cautiously watching everything around. It was heavier than she expected. 

Eira slowly turned around to get a better look at the Jarl. He was now further away from her, still backing away. On her right, there were bushes so she used them as a cover to get easily towards her target. 

There were still five men surrounding Jarl Bjarke. Five was an alright number. Eira could work with five. 

Somehow she unnoticed got almost to Jarl Bjarke. Her leg hit something. She looked down to see a dead body of a boy younger than her. A bow and two arrows laid next to him. Eira immediately grabbed those items to use them. She shot an arrow in one of Jarl's men right where his heart was. He fell to the ground unknowingly what hit him or who killed him. Jarl's face changed the second his man got hit. A pure fear and shock paralyzed his face. 

Eira shot the other arrow right after the first one, hitting the same spot on a different man. And then there were three. 

Eira dropped the bow and grabbed the ax and the shield again, making a run for it. Jarl Bjarke noticed her, screaming at his men to cover him and to kill Eira. Two men ran towards Eira. Both holding swords. One swang at her, which she blocked with her shield while throwing her ax at the other man. Hit. Right in his forehead. 

Two more. 

The sword of the attacking man kept hitting her shield. Eira was annoyed by him already so she kicked his knee as hard as she could, causing him to lose his balance. Eira used the opportunity immediately, with her shield in front of her she jumped on him. The sword fell on the ground. Eira grabbed her shield tightly and with its edge, she started to hit his head repeatedly until there wasn't much left of his head. She was covered in blood, her shield was dark red. 

She was breathing heavily, her body slightly getting tired. Eira stood up, made a few steps towards the other guy on the ground, grabbing the ax. She had to step on his head to be able to pull it out because of how far it was in his skull. Her hand was shaking as she wiped away the blood from her eyes. 

Jarl Bjarke was walking backward with only one man in front of him. This was Eira's moment. She ran towards the man and without hesitation, she swang the ax in his knee height which he didn't expect, which caused him to lose his leg. With a painful scream, he fell to the ground, blood squirting out. Jarl Bjarke was now shitless, trying to quickly move away while Eira finished his last man. 

She looked up to see Jarl Bjarke running away from her. Eira's hand immediately grabbed Ivar's blade and threw it in his direction. Jarl didn't know that but Eira missed something only when she wanted which wasn't the case. The blade dived into his upper thigh. Jarl yelled and stopped, his hand searching for the object that caused him such a pain. Eira ran towards him. 

She grabbed his long hair, making him to look at her. "Look at me!" She screamed at him because he had cowardly closed eyes. 

"This is the last face you'll ever see," she pulled his hair harder. "After you die, there's no Valhalla waiting for you. There will be nothing and as you will be lost in the darkness, this is the moment I want you to remember. My face will haunt you wherever you will be," she smiled bitterly. 

"Look at me," he tried to close his eyes again, tears running down his cheeks. Eira took her ax and raised her hand with it. "This is for my mother and my father," she hit the ax against his neck. He watched it all, which was a hundred times worse and Eira's hand was too weak to get it done at once. She had to swing the ax one more time to complete her action. Jarl Bjarke's eyes were wide open, the fear stayed in them. 

Eira turned around, holding Jarl's head by the hair. She raised her hand in the air, her eyes searching for Ivar. He wasn't far away and noticed immediately. A smile crept upon her lips. Ivar was proudly smiling at her too when suddenly his face froze. The excitement was replaced by fear and worries.

Suddenly she realized the pain that started to spread across her chest. Her eyes looked down. A small silver arrowhead covered in blood was sticking out of her chest, right in the middle. Her lips parted to release the blood that filled her mouth. She looked back at Ivar, who was already moving as fast as he could towards her. Eira's hand dropped Jarl's head as she fell on her knees. 

Ivar was almost there, his eyes filled with tears and his mind full of prayers to the gods. He got right to her when the weight of her body was slowly pulling her down. His hands managed to catch her before she could hit the ground. He was holding her in his arms, watching her. 

"Help, I need help!" he yelled but no one listened. The battle was almost over, men were killing the last standing. His eyes were searching for someone but there was no one around, only the dead were lying close by. 

Eira's hand slowly grabbed his face to make him look at her. "Don't," she whispered. 

"Don't leave me!" Ivar couldn't feel the pain Eira was feeling but he surely began to feel the unbearable pain that was hugging tightly his breaking heart. 

"This is my time, Ivar," she coughed. "I'll finally be with my parents again." Ivar couldn't keep the straight face. His cheeks were wet from all those tears that kept coming. 

"I need you, Eira. You can't leave me," his voice broke. "I'll be waiting for you in Valhalla, Ivar," she said. 

"Kiss me," she managed to say out loud with a strong voice a few moments after. Ivar carefully brought her closer, his wet lips pressing against hers. He didn't want it to end because he knew that this was the last time he will ever get to taste her lips. But it didn't matter what he wanted because Eira gently pressed her hand against his chest. 

"I love you," Ivar told her, his eyes trying to scan her face for every detail so it will be burned into his memory. 

"I love you," she smiled at him. His eyes full of tears, he brought her as close as he could. His hand was resting on her chest, feeling her slowly stopping heartbeat. It felt like his heart was stopping too, with each breath it hurt more. 

"The sky is beaut,-" she couldn't finish the sentence, her heart stopped. Ivar couldn't stop crying. He has never felt such a pain from losing someone he loved. 

The battle was over. Ivar's brothers found him on the ground, laying next to Eira, holding her cold hand. His cheeks were almost dry, there were no tears left to cry. His piercing eyes were watching the sky. He smiled. "The sky is beautiful," he whispered. 

 

##### Sorry for such a delay. This is the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed this journey with me. Thank you for reading Merciful.

##### All the love,

#####  Denise.

##### 


End file.
